Friday, May 31, 2013

Key role of EMPLOYEES in Business Process Improvement | Kaizen ...

There are four major roles within a business management system: Business Leader, Process Owner, Operational Manager, and Process Operator. The responsibilities of each of these roles are unique, but work together as a system. Some employees in an organization may perform as many as all four of these roles over the course of a day, week, month, or year. Now let?s have a look at each role in detail.

Image

1.???? Business leaders

Business leaders have responsibility for creating the business plans (including strategic plans created during the strategic planning process) and associated resourcing plans necessary to cause the organization to be successful.

Senior leaders (corporate) have the duty of defining the customer and business objectives which an organization needs to achieve in order to be successful. This process includes overseeing the development of the organization?s mission, vision (goal), and values.

Lower leader-levels (business unit and functional) get the task of translating senior leaders? business objectives into business objectives that make sense for their level and that support the accomplishment of the senior leaders? business objectives.

The responsibilities of the business leaders follow the PDCA (plan, do, check, and act) cycle.

Plan: The business leaders create and own the business performance objectives of the organization. Senior leaders need to first understand the requirements of their customers, stockholders, workforce, suppliers, and communities. They need to understand their competition. They need to understand the environmental, economic, technological, social, legal, and political environments that they do business within. Senior leaders need to consider all of these elements as they design a Business model and business Strategy map that will meet the customer and business requirements. Business Leaders then translate these requirements and business environment issues into business performance objectives. Business Leaders then create business plans and associated resourcing plans that will cause the organization to achieve these business objectives. The Business Leaders establish business performance metrics to measure the business?s capability to meet these business objectives. Many organizations create a Balanced scorecard to organize and communicate business performance metrics.

Do: The business leaders are responsible for communicating to the organization their business plans. As the organization conducts business, the Business Leaders are responsible to build bridges and remove barriers that will allow the business performance objectives to be met. The business performance metric data is produced and collected as business is performed by the organization.

Check: The business leaders periodically analyze the business performance data and use it to visualize the business?s capability to meet business objectives over time (performance trends), compare actual performance against performance targets, and identify performance issues.

Act: The business leaders are responsible to create improvement actions to address the performance issues that are identified during their analysis of the business performance data. These improvement actions are created to ensure the organization is able to achieve their business plans.

?2.???? Process owner

The process owner is the person who is responsible for designing the processes necessary to achieve the objectives of the business plans that are created by the Business Leaders. The process owner is responsible for the creation, update and approval of documents (procedures, work instructions/protocols) to support the process. Many process owners are supported by a process improvement team. The process owner uses this team as a mechanism to help create a high performance process. The process owner is the only person who has authority to make changes in the process and manages the entire process improvement cycle to ensure performance effectiveness. This person is the contact person for all information related to the process.

The responsibilities of the process owner follow the PDCA (plan, do, check, and act) cycle.

Plan: The process owners create and own the process performance objectives of the organization. The process owner first needs to understand the external and internal customer requirements for the process. This person uses the business plans as a source to help understand the long term and short term customer and business requirements. This person then translates these requirements into process performance objectives and establishes product (includes service) specifications. This person establishes process performance metrics to measure the process?s capability to meet the product specifications and overall process objectives. The set of metrics that are to be reviewed by operational managers and process operators are called key performance indicators (KPIs). The process owner then designs process steps to describe work that when performed will have the capability to produce products that meets the customer and business requirements.

Do: The process owner is responsible to communicate to the operational managers the details of the processes that the operational managers are responsible to execute. As the operational managers and process operators perform the processes, the process owner is responsible to build bridges and remove barriers that will allow the process performance objectives to be met. The process performance metric data is produced and collected as the process is performed by process operators. The process owner is continually involved with the operational managers and process operators as they use kaizen to continually improve the process as they are performing the work.

Check: The Process Owner periodically analyzes the process performance data and uses it to visualize the process?s capability to operate within control limits over time (performance trends), compare actual performance against performance targets, and identify performance issues.

Act: The Process Owner is responsible for creating improvement actions that address performance issues that are identified during their analysis of the process performance data. Improvement actions may include the initiation of Lean projects to reduce waste from the process or include the initiation of Six Sigma projects to reduce variation in the process. Improvement actions may include the use of problem solving tools that would include risk assessment and root cause analysis. Risk assessment is used to identify and reduce, eliminate, or mitigate risk within the process. This is the proactive approach to avoid problems being created from the process. Root-cause analysis is the reactive way to respond to problems that occur from the process. Root-cause analysis is used to identify the causes of problems within the process and identify and implement improvement actions that will ensure these problems do not occur again.

3.???? Operational manager

The operational Manager is responsible to bring the resources and processes together to achieve the objectives of the business plans that are created by the business leaders.

The responsibilities of the operational manager follow the PDCA (plan, do, check, and act) cycle.

Plan: The operational managers ? in collaboration with each Process Operator, create Process Operator performance objectives for the employees they supervise. The Operational Manager needs to understand the performance requirements of the process. They match employees (Process Operators) with the competency and skill requirements of the process to be performed. They ensure that the Process Operators have the budget, facilities, and technology available to them that is necessary to achieve the performance objectives of the processes.

Do: The operational manager is responsible to teach process operators how to perform the processes (work). Process Operator instruction usually consists of classroom and on-the-job training. The Operational Manager oversees the work and ensures Process Operators receive ongoing informal feedback as to their performance. As the Process Operators perform the processes, the Operational Managers are responsible to build bridges and remove barriers that will allow the process and Process Operator performance objectives to be met. Process and Process Operator performance metric data is produced and collected as the process is performed. The Operational Manager ensures that Process Operators are using Kaizen to continually improve the process as they are performing the work.

Check: The operational manager periodically analyzes the key performance indicators (KPIs) during the production cycle to evaluate the work group?s ability to achieve the process and process operator performance objectives. This data is used to visualize the process and process operator capability to meet business plan objectives over time (performance trends), compare actual performance against performance targets, and identify performance issues. They review this performance data and sort out process operator performance issues from process performance issues. Many organizations use a war room concept to post performance data. Within the war room, the operational manager conducts periodic review and analysis of this performance data.

Act: The operational manager is responsible to create improvement actions to address the performance issues that are identified during their analysis of the process and Process Operator performance data. They address Process Operator performance with ongoing feedback to the Process Operator and/or by using an employee performance management review process. They communicate process performance issues to the Process Operator(s) and the Process Owner.

4. ? ? Process operator

The process operator is responsible to learn and perform the processes (work) necessary to achieve the objectives of the business plans that are created by Business Leaders.

The responsibilities of the process operator follow the PDCA (plan, do, check, and act) cycle.

Plan: The process operators ? in collaboration with their Operational Manager, create and own their performance objectives. Process Operators are responsible to understand the performance objectives of the process they are to perform and the specifications of the product they are to produce.

Do: Process operators are responsible to learn the processes (work) that they are to perform. They ensure the processes are performed to meet the process performance objectives and produce product that meets specification. As the Process Operators perform the processes, they are responsible to communicate to their Operational Manager (supervisor) the bridges that need to be built and the barriers that need to be removed to allow the process and Process Operator performance objectives to be met. Process and Process Operator performance metric data is produced and collected as the process is performed.

Check: The process operator periodically reviews the Key performance indicators (KPI?s). The Process Operator makes adjustments to their work based on their actual performance compared to KPI targets. The Process Operator is responsible for identifying and reporting any performance issues and stopping production if necessary.

Act: Process operators practice kaizen to continually challenge the process and communicate improvement suggestions to their operational manager (supervisor).

Key considerations

Processes need to align to business goals. An organization?s strategic goals should provide the key direction for any Business Process Improvement exercise. This alignment can be brought about by integrating programs like Balanced Scorecard to the BPI initiative. E.g. when deploying Kaizen, Six Sigma, identification of projects can be done on the basis of how they fit into the Balanced Scorecard agenda of the organization.

Customer focus Fast-changing customer needs underscore the importance of aligning business processes to achieve higher customer satisfaction. It is imperative in any BPI exercise that the ?Voice of Customer? be known, and factored in, when reviewing or redesigning any process.

Importance of benchmarks BPI tools place a lot of emphasis on ?measurable results?. Accordingly, benchmarks assume an important role in any BPI initiative. Depending on the lifecycle of the process in question, benchmarks may be internal (within the organization), external (from other competing / noncompeting organizations) or dictated by the senior management of the organization as an aspirational target.

Establish process owners for any process to be controllable, it is essential that there be clarity on who is the process owner, and what constitutes success/failure of the process. These success/failure levels also help establish ?control limits? for the process, and provide a healthy check on whether or not a process is meeting the desired customer objectives.

?Source: Wikipedia

Like this:

Like Loading...

Source: http://kaizeninstituteindia.wordpress.com/2013/05/31/key-role-of-employees-in-business-process-improvement/

kourtney kardashian DNS Changer ernest borgnine ESPYs 2012 venus williams Freeh Report direct tv

Tech News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Tech News Headlines - Yahoo! Newshttp://news.yahoo.com/tech/ Get the latest Tech news headlines from Yahoo! News. Find breaking Tech news, including analysis and opinion on top Tech stories.en-USCopyright (c) 2013 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reservedThu, 30 May 2013 18:15:21 -04005Tech News Headlines - Yahoo! Newshttp://news.yahoo.com/tech/ http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/th/main_142c.gifIntel scores major win in new Samsung Galaxy tablet: source<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/intel-scores-major-win-samsung-galaxy-tablet-source-213940452.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/_.UKZFiQXNZ_3oYgaD1iWA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T213940Z_1_CBRE94T1O6F00_RTROPTP_2_CTECH-US-SAMSUNG-INTEL-TABLET.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="The company logo is displayed at the Samsung news conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas" align="left" title="The company logo is displayed at the Samsung news conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas" border="0" /></a>By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics has chosen an Intel Corp processor to power a new version of one of its top-tier Android tablets, a source with knowledge of the plans told Reuters, in a major victory for the U.S. chipmaker, which is struggling to find its footing in the mobile market. Samsung has chosen Intel&#039;s Clover Trail+ mobile chip for at least one version of its Galaxy Tab 3 10. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/intel-scores-major-win-samsung-galaxy-tablet-source-213940452.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 18:15:21 -0400Reutersintel-scores-major-win-samsung-galaxy-tablet-source-213940452<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/intel-scores-major-win-samsung-galaxy-tablet-source-213940452.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/_.UKZFiQXNZ_3oYgaD1iWA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T213940Z_1_CBRE94T1O6F00_RTROPTP_2_CTECH-US-SAMSUNG-INTEL-TABLET.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="The company logo is displayed at the Samsung news conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas" align="left" title="The company logo is displayed at the Samsung news conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas" border="0" /></a>By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics has chosen an Intel Corp processor to power a new version of one of its top-tier Android tablets, a source with knowledge of the plans told Reuters, in a major victory for the U.S. chipmaker, which is struggling to find its footing in the mobile market. Samsung has chosen Intel&#039;s Clover Trail+ mobile chip for at least one version of its Galaxy Tab 3 10. ...</p><br clear="all"/>Dish puts Sprint bid for Clearwire under pressure<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/dish-puts-sprint-bid-clearwire-under-pressure-003112847.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/.m9T1_9de5mrA3RrSRu90Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T183211Z_2_CBRE94T151U00_RTROPTP_2_CTECH-US-CLEARWIRE-DISH-SPRINT.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="People walk past a Sprint store in New York" align="left" title="People walk past a Sprint store in New York" border="0" /></a>By Sinead Carew and Liana B. Baker NEW YORK (Reuters) - One of the biggest minority shareholders in Clearwire Corp, on Thursday urged the wireless company to recommend against Sprint Nextel Corp&#039;s buyout offer after Dish Network Corp made a counter bid. Crest Financial, which holds about 8 percent of Clearwire shares, said Clearwire should open itself to competitive bidding, and said that even though Dish&#039;s bid late Wednesday appeared superior it may still prove inadequate to shareholders. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/dish-puts-sprint-bid-clearwire-under-pressure-003112847.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 20:31:12 -0400Reutersdish-puts-sprint-bid-clearwire-under-pressure-003112847<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/dish-puts-sprint-bid-clearwire-under-pressure-003112847.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/.m9T1_9de5mrA3RrSRu90Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T183211Z_2_CBRE94T151U00_RTROPTP_2_CTECH-US-CLEARWIRE-DISH-SPRINT.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="People walk past a Sprint store in New York" align="left" title="People walk past a Sprint store in New York" border="0" /></a>By Sinead Carew and Liana B. Baker NEW YORK (Reuters) - One of the biggest minority shareholders in Clearwire Corp, on Thursday urged the wireless company to recommend against Sprint Nextel Corp&#039;s buyout offer after Dish Network Corp made a counter bid. Crest Financial, which holds about 8 percent of Clearwire shares, said Clearwire should open itself to competitive bidding, and said that even though Dish&#039;s bid late Wednesday appeared superior it may still prove inadequate to shareholders. ...</p><br clear="all"/>Apple joins other foreign brands in raising prices in Japan<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/apple-joins-other-foreign-brands-raising-prices-japan-072740861.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/u97TPzSztyCuPinhv7UF7w--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-31T075328Z_2_CBRE94U0KQC00_RTROPTP_2_CTECH-US-APPLE-PRICES.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A man holds up a mock model of Apple&#039;s new iPad mini as he waits for the release of the tablet in front of the Apple Store Ginza in Tokyo" align="left" title="A man holds up a mock model of Apple&#039;s new iPad mini as he waits for the release of the tablet in front of the Apple Store Ginza in Tokyo" border="0" /></a>TOKYO (Reuters) - Apple Inc hiked prices of iPads and iPods in Japan on Friday, becoming the latest and highest-profile brand to join a growing list of foreign firms asking Japanese consumers to pay more as a weakening yen squeezes income. The yen has fallen more than 20 percent against the U.S. dollar since mid-November when then-opposition leader Shinzo Abe prescribed a dose of radical monetary easing to reverse years of sliding consumer prices as part of a deflation-fighting policy, dubbed &quot;Abenomics. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/apple-joins-other-foreign-brands-raising-prices-japan-072740861.htmlFri, 31 May 2013 03:53:28 -0400Reutersapple-joins-other-foreign-brands-raising-prices-japan-072740861<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/apple-joins-other-foreign-brands-raising-prices-japan-072740861.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/u97TPzSztyCuPinhv7UF7w--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-31T075328Z_2_CBRE94U0KQC00_RTROPTP_2_CTECH-US-APPLE-PRICES.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A man holds up a mock model of Apple&#039;s new iPad mini as he waits for the release of the tablet in front of the Apple Store Ginza in Tokyo" align="left" title="A man holds up a mock model of Apple&#039;s new iPad mini as he waits for the release of the tablet in front of the Apple Store Ginza in Tokyo" border="0" /></a>TOKYO (Reuters) - Apple Inc hiked prices of iPads and iPods in Japan on Friday, becoming the latest and highest-profile brand to join a growing list of foreign firms asking Japanese consumers to pay more as a weakening yen squeezes income. The yen has fallen more than 20 percent against the U.S. dollar since mid-November when then-opposition leader Shinzo Abe prescribed a dose of radical monetary easing to reverse years of sliding consumer prices as part of a deflation-fighting policy, dubbed &quot;Abenomics. ...</p><br clear="all"/>Spot a Bad Hotel ? Before You BookHow to decode online listings to find the best hotels - and avoid the worst.http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upgrade-your-life/spot-a-bad-hotel-%E2%80%93-before-you-book-151317069.htmlWed, 29 May 2013 11:13:16 -0400blogs/upgrade-your-life/spot-a-bad-hotel-%E2%80%93-before-you-book-151317069Carlyle, Advent, others in hunt for HP's MphasiS stake: sources<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/carlyle-advent-others-hunt-hps-mphasis-stake-sources-084507392.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/PxYhYPflh0_aNc6OKnOdiw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-31T084507Z_1_CBRE94U0OBQ00_RTROPTP_2_CARLYLE.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A general view of the lobby outside of the Carlyle Group offices in Washington" align="left" title="A general view of the lobby outside of the Carlyle Group offices in Washington" border="0" /></a>By Indulal PM and Sumeet Chatterjee MUMBAI (Reuters) - Private equity giants Carlyle Group LP and Blackstone Group LP as well as Indian outsourcers L&amp;T Infotech and Tech Mahindra Ltd, are lining up bids for Hewlett-Packard Co&#039;s $1 billion stake in India&#039;s MphasiS Ltd, several sources involved in the process said. Buyout firms Advent International and Bain Capital LLC are also in talks to bid for HP&#039;s 60.5 percent stake in MphasiS, an IT services exporter, said the sources, who declined to be named as details of a potential deal are not yet public. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/carlyle-advent-others-hunt-hps-mphasis-stake-sources-084507392.htmlFri, 31 May 2013 04:59:16 -0400Reuterscarlyle-advent-others-hunt-hps-mphasis-stake-sources-084507392<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/carlyle-advent-others-hunt-hps-mphasis-stake-sources-084507392.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/PxYhYPflh0_aNc6OKnOdiw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-31T084507Z_1_CBRE94U0OBQ00_RTROPTP_2_CARLYLE.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A general view of the lobby outside of the Carlyle Group offices in Washington" align="left" title="A general view of the lobby outside of the Carlyle Group offices in Washington" border="0" /></a>By Indulal PM and Sumeet Chatterjee MUMBAI (Reuters) - Private equity giants Carlyle Group LP and Blackstone Group LP as well as Indian outsourcers L&amp;T Infotech and Tech Mahindra Ltd, are lining up bids for Hewlett-Packard Co&#039;s $1 billion stake in India&#039;s MphasiS Ltd, several sources involved in the process said. Buyout firms Advent International and Bain Capital LLC are also in talks to bid for HP&#039;s 60.5 percent stake in MphasiS, an IT services exporter, said the sources, who declined to be named as details of a potential deal are not yet public. ...</p><br clear="all"/>Rogers, Videotron extend reach with network-sharing deal<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/rogers-videotron-reach-network-sharing-spectrum-deal-125627514.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/eDCbTs_TGApiB8j80OmLyg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T191250Z_1_CBRE94T1HDM00_RTROPTP_2_CTECH-US-QUEBECOR-ROGERS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A woman walks by a sign at the Rogers Communications headquarters building on the day of their annual general meeting for shareholders in Toronto" align="left" title="A woman walks by a sign at the Rogers Communications headquarters building on the day of their annual general meeting for shareholders in Toronto" border="0" /></a>By Euan Rocha and Alastair Sharp TORONTO (Reuters) - Rogers Communications Inc and Quebecor Inc&#039;s Videotron wireless arm plan to build and operate a shared high-speed wireless network in and around Qu?bec, a cost-saving arrangement that is expected to stoke competition in the French-speaking Canadian province. Rogers, the nation&#039;s largest wireless provider, now spends far more on its network than its main rivals, Telus Corp and BCE Inc&#039;s Bell unit, do on their shared network. The pairing with Videotron, announced late on Wednesday, means Rogers will narrow that gap. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/rogers-videotron-reach-network-sharing-spectrum-deal-125627514.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 15:12:50 -0400Reutersrogers-videotron-reach-network-sharing-spectrum-deal-125627514<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/rogers-videotron-reach-network-sharing-spectrum-deal-125627514.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/eDCbTs_TGApiB8j80OmLyg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T191250Z_1_CBRE94T1HDM00_RTROPTP_2_CTECH-US-QUEBECOR-ROGERS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A woman walks by a sign at the Rogers Communications headquarters building on the day of their annual general meeting for shareholders in Toronto" align="left" title="A woman walks by a sign at the Rogers Communications headquarters building on the day of their annual general meeting for shareholders in Toronto" border="0" /></a>By Euan Rocha and Alastair Sharp TORONTO (Reuters) - Rogers Communications Inc and Quebecor Inc&#039;s Videotron wireless arm plan to build and operate a shared high-speed wireless network in and around Qu?bec, a cost-saving arrangement that is expected to stoke competition in the French-speaking Canadian province. Rogers, the nation&#039;s largest wireless provider, now spends far more on its network than its main rivals, Telus Corp and BCE Inc&#039;s Bell unit, do on their shared network. The pairing with Videotron, announced late on Wednesday, means Rogers will narrow that gap. ...</p><br clear="all"/>U.S. to loosen sanctions on Iran for mobile phones, gadgets<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/u-loosen-sanctions-iran-mobile-phones-gadgets-180315165.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/j2lSFd.NFiS48J1GRyZsyg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T180315Z_1_CBRE94T1E5M00_RTROPTP_2_CBUSINESS-US-USA-IRAN-SANCTIONS-PHONE.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="An Iranian woman talks on her phone while visiting an Islamic fashion exhibition in Tehran" align="left" title="An Iranian woman talks on her phone while visiting an Islamic fashion exhibition in Tehran" border="0" /></a>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States was set to relax sanctions on Iran on Thursday to allow American companies to sell mobile phones, software and other technology used for personal communications to Iranians, two U.S. officials said. The move, expected later on Thursday, will allow Iranians to get access to the latest Apple phones and newest software that have only been available on Tehran&#039;s black market since sanctions were first imposed in 1992. The U.S. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/u-loosen-sanctions-iran-mobile-phones-gadgets-180315165.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 14:03:15 -0400Reutersu-loosen-sanctions-iran-mobile-phones-gadgets-180315165<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/u-loosen-sanctions-iran-mobile-phones-gadgets-180315165.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/j2lSFd.NFiS48J1GRyZsyg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T180315Z_1_CBRE94T1E5M00_RTROPTP_2_CBUSINESS-US-USA-IRAN-SANCTIONS-PHONE.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="An Iranian woman talks on her phone while visiting an Islamic fashion exhibition in Tehran" align="left" title="An Iranian woman talks on her phone while visiting an Islamic fashion exhibition in Tehran" border="0" /></a>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States was set to relax sanctions on Iran on Thursday to allow American companies to sell mobile phones, software and other technology used for personal communications to Iranians, two U.S. officials said. The move, expected later on Thursday, will allow Iranians to get access to the latest Apple phones and newest software that have only been available on Tehran&#039;s black market since sanctions were first imposed in 1992. The U.S. ...</p><br clear="all"/>Z-Pass: Digital Publishing?s Economic and Technological DisruptionOver the past weeks we have used this column to present the possibilities of digital publishing. We?ve given you reasons to discover content. We?ve presented the business case for digital publishing. But to be completely honest we?ve always known that digital publishing needs an economic and technological disruption. I think we have it.http://www.appolicious.com/tech/articles/13508-z-pass-digital-publishings-economic-and-technological-disruptionThu, 30 May 2013 15:48:40 -0400Appolicioustech/articles/13508-z-pass-digital-publishings-economic-and-technological-disruptionUSSR's old domain name attracts cybercriminals<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/ussrs-old-domain-name-attracts-cybercriminals-070143935.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/TpxilDK5TqoE.XZrxW9URg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/da0302233b6f6712330f6a70670038a1.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Sergei Ovcharenko, the director for .su domain development at Moscow?s Foundation for Internet Development smiles as he speaks to The Associated Press photographer in his office in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, May 30, 2013. The Foundation for Internet Development is responsible for managing the Soviet Union?s old .su domain, which security experts say has become a magnet for hackers. Ovcharenko acknowledges that criminal sites hosted in Soviet cyberspace can stay online for extremely long periods of time, something he blames on weak Russian legislation and outdated terms of service. He promises that stricter rules are on their way. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)" align="left" title="Sergei Ovcharenko, the director for .su domain development at Moscow?s Foundation for Internet Development smiles as he speaks to The Associated Press photographer in his office in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, May 30, 2013. The Foundation for Internet Development is responsible for managing the Soviet Union?s old .su domain, which security experts say has become a magnet for hackers. Ovcharenko acknowledges that criminal sites hosted in Soviet cyberspace can stay online for extremely long periods of time, something he blames on weak Russian legislation and outdated terms of service. He promises that stricter rules are on their way. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (AP) ? The Soviet Union disappeared from the map more than two decades ago. But online an &#039;e-vil empire&#039; is thriving.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/ussrs-old-domain-name-attracts-cybercriminals-070143935.htmlFri, 31 May 2013 04:01:02 -0400Associated Pressussrs-old-domain-name-attracts-cybercriminals-070143935<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/ussrs-old-domain-name-attracts-cybercriminals-070143935.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/TpxilDK5TqoE.XZrxW9URg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/da0302233b6f6712330f6a70670038a1.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Sergei Ovcharenko, the director for .su domain development at Moscow?s Foundation for Internet Development smiles as he speaks to The Associated Press photographer in his office in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, May 30, 2013. The Foundation for Internet Development is responsible for managing the Soviet Union?s old .su domain, which security experts say has become a magnet for hackers. Ovcharenko acknowledges that criminal sites hosted in Soviet cyberspace can stay online for extremely long periods of time, something he blames on weak Russian legislation and outdated terms of service. He promises that stricter rules are on their way. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)" align="left" title="Sergei Ovcharenko, the director for .su domain development at Moscow?s Foundation for Internet Development smiles as he speaks to The Associated Press photographer in his office in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, May 30, 2013. The Foundation for Internet Development is responsible for managing the Soviet Union?s old .su domain, which security experts say has become a magnet for hackers. Ovcharenko acknowledges that criminal sites hosted in Soviet cyberspace can stay online for extremely long periods of time, something he blames on weak Russian legislation and outdated terms of service. He promises that stricter rules are on their way. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)" border="0" /></a>MOSCOW (AP) ? The Soviet Union disappeared from the map more than two decades ago. But online an &#039;e-vil empire&#039; is thriving.</p><br clear="all"/>Megaupload founder wins access to evidence seized in raid<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/megaupload-founder-wins-access-evidence-seized-raid-063433453.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/CtGWCEIA611h4._.fEyteQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-31T063433Z_1_CBRE94U0IAK00_RTROPTP_2_NEWZEALAND-DOTCOM.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="An actor in police costume greets Kim Dotcom as he launches his new website &quot;Mega&quot; in Auckland" align="left" title="An actor in police costume greets Kim Dotcom as he launches his new website &quot;Mega&quot; in Auckland" border="0" /></a>WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand court granted Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom access on Friday to all evidence seized by police in a 2012 raid, bolstering the Internet entrepreneur&#039;s fight against extradition to the United States to face online piracy charges. Repeating its decision that warrants used in the raid on Dotcom&#039;s home were illegal, the High Court ruled that police must provide copies of evidence considered relevant to the U.S. investigation. These include materials forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/megaupload-founder-wins-access-evidence-seized-raid-063433453.htmlFri, 31 May 2013 02:34:33 -0400Reutersmegaupload-founder-wins-access-evidence-seized-raid-063433453<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/megaupload-founder-wins-access-evidence-seized-raid-063433453.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/CtGWCEIA611h4._.fEyteQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-31T063433Z_1_CBRE94U0IAK00_RTROPTP_2_NEWZEALAND-DOTCOM.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="An actor in police costume greets Kim Dotcom as he launches his new website &quot;Mega&quot; in Auckland" align="left" title="An actor in police costume greets Kim Dotcom as he launches his new website &quot;Mega&quot; in Auckland" border="0" /></a>WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand court granted Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom access on Friday to all evidence seized by police in a 2012 raid, bolstering the Internet entrepreneur&#039;s fight against extradition to the United States to face online piracy charges. Repeating its decision that warrants used in the raid on Dotcom&#039;s home were illegal, the High Court ruled that police must provide copies of evidence considered relevant to the U.S. investigation. These include materials forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ...</p><br clear="all"/>The Galaxy S4 mini could thwart Apple?s emerging market ambitionsWe?ve known for a while that Apple has been planning a bigger push into emerging markets such as China and India with a lower-cost iPhone. But as Strategy Analytics writes on its official blog, Apple?s rival Samsung has already gotten out ahead of the game by releasing its own cheaper Galaxy S4 mini. What?s more, Strategy Analytics thinks that Samsung?plans on ?taking the fight to Apple, challenging it across additional price tiers? and that the Galaxy S4 mini will undercut the older iPhone 4S?s price by around 5%. Taken together, it shows how much Apple has to gain by finally coming to terms with China Mobile on a deal to sell the iPhone unless it wants to see Samsung dominatehttp://news.yahoo.com/galaxy-s4-mini-could-thwart-apple-emerging-market-031554167.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 23:15:54 -0400BGR Newsgalaxy-s4-mini-could-thwart-apple-emerging-market-031554167Dish ups bid for Clearwire two days before shareholder meetingDish on Wednesday increased its bid to acquire wireless broadband wholesaler Clearwire. The company is now offering $4.40 per share, a 29% premium over Sprint?s proposal, which values the firm at $6.47 billion. Sprint recently raised its offer to $3.40 per share after shareholders had criticized its original proposal of $2.97 per share. Dish, whose offer comes two days before Clearwire shareholders are scheduled to vote on Sprint?s proposal, is also locked in a battle with Japanese company SoftBank to acquire Sprint.http://news.yahoo.com/dish-ups-bid-clearwire-two-days-shareholder-meeting-020038825.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 22:00:38 -0400BGR Newsdish-ups-bid-clearwire-two-days-shareholder-meeting-020038825iPod touch sales top 100 millionApple confirmed in a statement to The Loop on Thursday that it has sold more than 100 million iPod touch devices since first launching the popular music player in 2007. The iPod touch has been one of Apple?s top-selling products, making up half of all iPods sold. The company?s announcement came following its quiet release of a new entry-level model. The device shares nearly all the same features as the fifth-generation iPod touch, however it does not include a rear iSight camera and is only available in silver. The new iPod touch model is equipped with 16GB of internal storage and is available now for $229.http://news.yahoo.com/ipod-touch-sales-top-100-million-004525325.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 20:45:25 -0400BGR Newsipod-touch-sales-top-100-million-004525325Cisco CEO predicts that mobile data prices will ?come down rapidly?It?s not often that we hear speculation about wireless carriers actually charging customers less for wireless data services, but Cisco CEO John Chambers seems to think that it?s really going to happen in the near future. AllThingsD reports that Chambers told the D: All Things Digital conference on Wednesday that new developments in wireless transport will let carriers aggressively lower their prices as expansions in Wi-Fi capabilities will help absorb increased traffic from wireless devices over the next several years. ?Price points are going to come down rapidly,? said Chambers. ?Transport will become free??Architectures will change. With intelligence throughout the network, the network will become the platform of the future.? Chambers also took the opportunity to tout his own company?shttp://news.yahoo.com/cisco-ceo-predicts-mobile-data-prices-come-down-233053882.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 19:30:53 -0400BGR Newscisco-ceo-predicts-mobile-data-prices-come-down-233053882Microsoft aims to simplify with Windows 8.1SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Microsoft is trying to fix what it got wrong with its radical makeover of Windows. It's making the operating system easier to navigate and enabling users to set up the software so it starts in a more familiar format designed for personal computers.http://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-aims-simplify-windows-8-1-131905380.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 18:34:12 -0400Associated Pressmicrosoft-aims-simplify-windows-8-1-131905380Maine teens wary of social media after homicide<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/maine-teens-wary-social-media-homicide-222620513.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/E7Vajt3peSzpAmNc05tF6Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/87f772ac00a34512330f6a706700426e.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - Nichole Cable is seen in an undated photo provided by the Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department. The man suspected of killing Cable has been indicted on charges of murder and kidnapping on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department, File)" align="left" title="FILE - Nichole Cable is seen in an undated photo provided by the Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department. The man suspected of killing Cable has been indicted on charges of murder and kidnapping on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department, File)" border="0" /></a>PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ? The death of a 15-year-old Maine girl allegedly killed in a bizarre kidnapping plot involving a fake Facebook profile has prompted some of her classmates to scale back their social media use ? or ditch it altogether.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/maine-teens-wary-social-media-homicide-222620513.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 18:26:34 -0400Associated Pressmaine-teens-wary-social-media-homicide-222620513<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/maine-teens-wary-social-media-homicide-222620513.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/E7Vajt3peSzpAmNc05tF6Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/87f772ac00a34512330f6a706700426e.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - Nichole Cable is seen in an undated photo provided by the Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department. The man suspected of killing Cable has been indicted on charges of murder and kidnapping on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department, File)" align="left" title="FILE - Nichole Cable is seen in an undated photo provided by the Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department. The man suspected of killing Cable has been indicted on charges of murder and kidnapping on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department, File)" border="0" /></a>PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ? The death of a 15-year-old Maine girl allegedly killed in a bizarre kidnapping plot involving a fake Facebook profile has prompted some of her classmates to scale back their social media use ? or ditch it altogether.</p><br clear="all"/>Samsung will reportedly debut Galaxy S4 Zoom and Active on June 20thA flood of rumors and leaks have suggested that Samsung is preparing to release two new smartphones in the coming weeks. According to a report from Hi-Tech.Mail.Ru, the Galaxy S4 Zoom and Galaxy S4 Active will debut alongside the Galaxy S4 mini at Samsung?s press event next month. The Galaxy S4 Zoom will reportedly be similar to the mini with a 4.3-inch qHD display, 1.6GHz dual-core processor, a microSD slot and 8GB of RAM. The selling point, however, will be the smartphone?s massive 16-megapixel rear camera with 10x optical zoom. The Galaxy S4 Active is said to be smilar to the normal Galaxy S4, although it will be both water and dust resistant. The handset will reportedly be equipped withhttp://news.yahoo.com/samsung-reportedly-debut-galaxy-s4-zoom-active-june-221525006.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 18:15:25 -0400BGR Newssamsung-reportedly-debut-galaxy-s4-zoom-active-june-221525006BlackBerry Q10 coming to Verizon on June 6th for $199Verizon will release its second BlackBerry 10 smartphone next week. Not to be outdone by T-Mobile, which also announced a launch date for the Q10 this week, Verizon on Thursday opened preorders for the new QWERTY-equipped BlackBerry?smartphone. In addition to BlackBerry?s signature keyboard, the handset features a 3.1-inch Super AMOLED 720 x 720 pixel resolution display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and an 8-megapixel rear camera. The smartphone also includes 2GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage, NFC, a microSD slot and a 2,100 mAh battery. BGR recently reviewed the Q10 and found it to be a decent option for those users who still require a full physical keyboard. The BlackBerry Q10 will be available from Verizon on June 6thhttp://news.yahoo.com/blackberry-q10-coming-verizon-june-6th-199-214031165.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 17:40:31 -0400BGR Newsblackberry-q10-coming-verizon-june-6th-199-214031165Teens wary of social media after Maine homicide<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/teens-wary-social-media-maine-homicide-212422229.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/E7Vajt3peSzpAmNc05tF6Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/87f772ac00a34512330f6a706700426e.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - Nichole Cable is seen in an undated photo provided by the Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department. The man suspected of killing Cable has been indicted on charges of murder and kidnapping on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department, File)" align="left" title="FILE - Nichole Cable is seen in an undated photo provided by the Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department. The man suspected of killing Cable has been indicted on charges of murder and kidnapping on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department, File)" border="0" /></a>PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ? The death of a 15-year-old Maine girl allegedly killed in a bizarre kidnapping plot involving a fake Facebook profile has prompted some of her classmates to scale back their social media use ? or ditch it altogether.</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/teens-wary-social-media-maine-homicide-212422229.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 17:24:22 -0400Associated Pressteens-wary-social-media-maine-homicide-212422229<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/teens-wary-social-media-maine-homicide-212422229.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/E7Vajt3peSzpAmNc05tF6Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/87f772ac00a34512330f6a706700426e.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="FILE - Nichole Cable is seen in an undated photo provided by the Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department. The man suspected of killing Cable has been indicted on charges of murder and kidnapping on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department, File)" align="left" title="FILE - Nichole Cable is seen in an undated photo provided by the Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department. The man suspected of killing Cable has been indicted on charges of murder and kidnapping on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Penobscot County Sheriff?s Department, File)" border="0" /></a>PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ? The death of a 15-year-old Maine girl allegedly killed in a bizarre kidnapping plot involving a fake Facebook profile has prompted some of her classmates to scale back their social media use ? or ditch it altogether.</p><br clear="all"/>The U.N. Will Not Stand for Killer RobotsPresident Obama may have finally clarified the U.S. position on armed assassins in the sky, but the next wave of drone controversy may now center on whether robots on the field of battle are smart enough to gun down human beings. At a the meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday, a top U.N. ...http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-not-stand-killer-robots-210745946.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 17:07:45 -0400The Atlantic Wireu-n-not-stand-killer-robots-210745946You might need a special license to ?drive? a self-driving carThe United States government on Thursday issued a rather odd recommendation for consumers who are interested in sitting behind the wheel of a driverless vehicle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes drivers should be required by to?receive?extra training and get special licenses to operate a self-driving vehicle on public roads, The Wall Street Journal reported. Fully autonomous vehicles, such as the ones being tested by Google, could?drastically reduce accidents?and save hundreds of thousands of lives in the process. The agency recommends that states shouldn?t attempt to ?establish safety standards for self-driving vehicle technologies, which are in the early stages of development.? It noted that states should require individuals to pass a special test, however, and also obtain a certificationhttp://news.yahoo.com/might-special-license-drive-self-driving-car-210535517.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 17:05:35 -0400BGR Newsmight-special-license-drive-self-driving-car-210535517HTC reportedly taking the fight to Samsung with its own 5.9-inch phabletNow that HTC has perhaps regained some confidence with the launch of its critically acclaimed HTC One smartphone, the company is reportedly moving more aggressively into?Samsung?s?territory?by releasing its very own phablet. According to Evleaks, who has been accurate with mobile rumors in the past, HTC is preparing to launch a smartphone that?s currently code-named T6 and that features a 5.9-inch full HD 1080p display, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and an ultrapixel rear camera. The handset is said to be equipped with front-facing speakers, a dedicated auto chip, a fingerprint scanner for enhanced security, 2GB of RAM, a 3,300 mAh battery, 16GB of internal storage, a microSD slot, a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera with a wide-angle lens and will runhttp://news.yahoo.com/htc-reportedly-taking-fight-samsung-own-5-9-203054869.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 16:30:54 -0400BGR Newshtc-reportedly-taking-fight-samsung-own-5-9-203054869Google to sell HTC One with unmodified AndroidSAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? Google is adding the recently released HTC One to its lineup of smartphones running on an unmodified version of its latest Android software.http://news.yahoo.com/google-sell-htc-one-unmodified-android-201557118.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 16:16:10 -0400Associated Pressgoogle-sell-htc-one-unmodified-android-201557118The hard truth for Microsoft: Windows may never work as a tablet OSWindows-based tablets haven?t been big successes so far, whether they use the desktop-centric Windows 8 or the tablet-centric Windows RT. iMore?s Rene Ritchie does some sharp analysis of Microsoft?s latest marketing campaign and concludes that the company simply does not understand why people are buying tablets in the first place. Essentially, Microsoft doesn?t get that its central criticism of the iPad ? that is, that it?s more of a toy that can?t be used for doing serious work ? is precisely why consumers are drawn to it in the first place. Simply put, consumers have PCs at their offices if they want to do work. When they?re at home, they want to play around with their tablets instead; they likehttp://news.yahoo.com/hard-truth-microsoft-windows-may-never-tablet-os-192013954.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 15:20:13 -0400BGR Newshard-truth-microsoft-windows-may-never-tablet-os-192013954Tesla promises to add charging stationsDETROIT (AP) ? Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. promises to boost the number of fast-charging stations in the U.S. and Canada to make cross-country travel by electric car possible in the next year.http://news.yahoo.com/tesla-promises-add-charging-stations-181710781.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 15:16:21 -0400Associated Presstesla-promises-add-charging-stations-181710781How China Mobile called Apple?s bluffApple and China Mobile have been locked in bitter contract negotiations for years. Apple wants the same kind of deal it has with Verizon or Vodafone. China Mobile wants something much, much sweeter. But as months slide by, Apple?s position weakens and China Mobile?s grows stronger. In April, China Mobile hit 730 million subscribers, growing by another 4 million subscribers in just one month. China Mobile is now adding more 3G subscribers per month than its smaller rivals China Unicom and China Telecom. Most importantly, China Mobile?s month-on-month 3G subscriber growth is the fastest in China. China?s leviathan has demonstrated it does not need the iPhone to remain the fastest growing 3G player in the biggest phone market in thehttp://news.yahoo.com/china-mobile-called-apple-bluff-185518312.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 14:55:18 -0400BGR Newschina-mobile-called-apple-bluff-185518312Zen in the Art of Text Asset Submission<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/text-asset-content-provider-article-writer-180559626.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/pyfHKRsDHVxzMjAovRO47Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/mashable/Typewriter.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Write On! November Is National Novel Writing Month" align="left" title="Write On! November Is National Novel Writing Month" border="0" /></a>Virginia Heffernan on the joys of &quot;providing text assets&quot; in the digital age</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/text-asset-content-provider-article-writer-180559626.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 14:38:51 -0400text-asset-content-provider-article-writer-180559626<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/text-asset-content-provider-article-writer-180559626.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/pyfHKRsDHVxzMjAovRO47Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/mashable/Typewriter.jpg" width="130" height="86" alt="Write On! November Is National Novel Writing Month" align="left" title="Write On! November Is National Novel Writing Month" border="0" /></a>Virginia Heffernan on the joys of &quot;providing text assets&quot; in the digital age</p><br clear="all"/>The Inevitable Google Glass Wedding Proposal Arrived in Record TimeRELATED: Cocktail Crossfire: Are Internet Marriage Proposals Acceptable?http://news.yahoo.com/inevitable-google-glass-wedding-proposal-arrived-record-time-183238443.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 14:32:38 -0400The Atlantic Wireinevitable-google-glass-wedding-proposal-arrived-record-time-183238443Crest urges Clearwire ditch Sprint deal after Dish bid<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/clearwire-postpone-vote-sprint-bid-sources-144628664.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/.m9T1_9de5mrA3RrSRu90Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T183211Z_2_CBRE94T151U00_RTROPTP_2_CTECH-US-CLEARWIRE-DISH-SPRINT.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="People walk past a Sprint store in New York" align="left" title="People walk past a Sprint store in New York" border="0" /></a>By Sinead Carew and Liana B. Baker NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crest Financial, one of the biggest minority shareholders in Clearwire Corp, on Thursday urged the wireless company to recommend against Sprint Nextel Corp&#039;s buyout offer after Dish Network Corp made a counter bid. Crest, which holds about 8 percent of Clearwire shares, said Clearwire should open itself to competitive bidding, and said even though Dish&#039;s bid appears superior it may still prove inadequate to shareholders. Clearwire is expected to postpone its shareholder vote on Sprint&#039;s $3.40 per share offer after Dish&#039;s counter bid of ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/clearwire-postpone-vote-sprint-bid-sources-144628664.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 14:32:11 -0400Reutersclearwire-postpone-vote-sprint-bid-sources-144628664<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/clearwire-postpone-vote-sprint-bid-sources-144628664.html"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/.m9T1_9de5mrA3RrSRu90Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T183211Z_2_CBRE94T151U00_RTROPTP_2_CTECH-US-CLEARWIRE-DISH-SPRINT.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="People walk past a Sprint store in New York" align="left" title="People walk past a Sprint store in New York" border="0" /></a>By Sinead Carew and Liana B. Baker NEW YORK (Reuters) - Crest Financial, one of the biggest minority shareholders in Clearwire Corp, on Thursday urged the wireless company to recommend against Sprint Nextel Corp&#039;s buyout offer after Dish Network Corp made a counter bid. Crest, which holds about 8 percent of Clearwire shares, said Clearwire should open itself to competitive bidding, and said even though Dish&#039;s bid appears superior it may still prove inadequate to shareholders. Clearwire is expected to postpone its shareholder vote on Sprint&#039;s $3.40 per share offer after Dish&#039;s counter bid of ...</p><br clear="all"/>Samsung Galaxy S4 sales seen reaching 80 million unitsSamsung?s flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone quickly became the fastest-selling Android phone in history when Samsung announced that channel sales had reached 10 million units in under one month. That breakneck pace will surely slow down over time, but industry watchers see Samsung?s latest hero phone racking up some pretty huge numbers ? according to RBC Capital Markets analyst?Mark Sue, Galaxy S4 sales will hit 80 million units this year. ?Galaxy S-4 demand in the first month of availability has been incrementally better than our estimate of 10M units,? Sue wrote in a note to clients on Thursday. ?In comparison, the S-III took nearly 2 months (50 days) to achieve the 10M units mark. Our broad-based channel checks at U.S. storeshttp://news.yahoo.com/samsung-galaxy-s4-sales-seen-reaching-80-million-182022040.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 14:20:22 -0400BGR Newssamsung-galaxy-s4-sales-seen-reaching-80-million-182022040Safe Water? Ask The SmartphoneResearchers combine an iPhone with optical filters to create a handheld analyzer for toxins, bacteria and other items of public health importance. Larry Greenemeier reports.http://news.yahoo.com/safe-water-ask-smartphone-180908854.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 14:09:08 -0400Scientific Americansafe-water-ask-smartphone-180908854Apple to double down on graphics in next-gen processorsApple has hired at least a dozen former graphics engineers from semiconductor maker?AMD, MacRumors reported, citing new employees? LinkedIn profiles. The company reportedly hired a number of graphics architects, hardware engineers and others after AMD laid off numerous employees this past January. Recent job postings reveal that Apple is building an advanced team of chip engineers for its Orlando Design Center, and is currently seeking a manager to lead the ?Orlando GPU team? and ?deliver high quality IP to specification and on schedule.? Apple debuted the iPad in 2010 with its first custom designed mobile processor, the A4 chip, and since then the company has continued to develop more of its technology in-house.http://news.yahoo.com/apple-double-down-graphics-next-gen-processors-175525839.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 13:55:25 -0400BGR Newsapple-double-down-graphics-next-gen-processors-175525839Facebook shares jump as brokers say usage concerns overblown<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-shares-jump-brokers-usage-concerns-overblown-161503749.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/3BuwpgFk9EWXZQA7RlzfWw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T174025Z_1_CBRE94T195G00_RTROPTP_2_FACEBOOK-RESULTS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A smartphone user shows the Facebook application on his phone in Zenica, in this photo illustration" align="left" title="A smartphone user shows the Facebook application on his phone in Zenica, in this photo illustration" border="0" /></a>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Facebook Inc jumped 5.6 percent on Thursday after two investment brokerages upgraded their recommendations, arguing that concerns over the waning engagement of younger users were overblown. Still, the share price of the world&#039;s largest social network is at a six-month low, partly due to fears that young users were beginning to cool their activities on Facebook, in favor of newer services like Twitter and the increasingly popular photo messaging application, SnapChat. In midday trading, shares were up at $24.63. ...</p><br clear="all"/>http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-shares-jump-brokers-usage-concerns-overblown-161503749.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 13:40:25 -0400Reutersfacebook-shares-jump-brokers-usage-concerns-overblown-161503749<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-shares-jump-brokers-usage-concerns-overblown-161503749.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/3BuwpgFk9EWXZQA7RlzfWw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9ODU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-05-30T174025Z_1_CBRE94T195G00_RTROPTP_2_FACEBOOK-RESULTS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="A smartphone user shows the Facebook application on his phone in Zenica, in this photo illustration" align="left" title="A smartphone user shows the Facebook application on his phone in Zenica, in this photo illustration" border="0" /></a>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Facebook Inc jumped 5.6 percent on Thursday after two investment brokerages upgraded their recommendations, arguing that concerns over the waning engagement of younger users were overblown. Still, the share price of the world&#039;s largest social network is at a six-month low, partly due to fears that young users were beginning to cool their activities on Facebook, in favor of newer services like Twitter and the increasingly popular photo messaging application, SnapChat. In midday trading, shares were up at $24.63. ...</p><br clear="all"/>Here?s how Microsoft hopes to reignite interest in WindowsAs we learned on Wednesday, Microsoft will indeed be bringing back the Start button for Windows 8.1. But Engadget, which has posted a lengthy preview of Windows 8.1, says that the Start button may not quite be what many users were expecting. According to the site, the new Start button isn?t ?a return to fly-out menu trees? of older versions of Windows but instead makes it look ?more like the Live Tiles are popping up on top of the desktop? when you click it. While this is sure to disappoint some users who were hoping for a Windows 7-type experience, Microsoft is hoping that it will make for an easier transition between the classic desktop view and the touch-centric Livehttp://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-hopes-reignite-interest-windows-173010092.htmlThu, 30 May 2013 13:30:10 -0400BGR Newsmicrosoft-hopes-reignite-interest-windows-173010092

Source: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/tech

la dodgers lawrence o donnell magic johnson jetblue pilot solicitor general neighborhood watch dodgers sale

Republican Party seeks documents on Benghazi

FILE ? In this Jan.23, 2013, file photo U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham pounds her fist as she testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the deadly September attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Republicans and Democrats began condemning each other's response to Benghazi within hours of the first shots fired. The issue has flared and dimmed ever since, revived by new testimony, reports or documents like newly released emails. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

FILE ? In this Jan.23, 2013, file photo U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham pounds her fist as she testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the deadly September attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Republicans and Democrats began condemning each other's response to Benghazi within hours of the first shots fired. The issue has flared and dimmed ever since, revived by new testimony, reports or documents like newly released emails. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

(AP) ? The political arm of the Republican Party is seeking any emails and documents that might exist between the State Department and President Barack Obama's re-election campaign about the deadly assault last year in Benghazi, Libya.

The Republican National Committee said Thursday it sent a request under the Freedom of Information Act for material between Sept. 11 ? the day of the attack ? and Nov. 7 ? the day after Obama's re-election.

The RNC is seeking anything containing the words Libya or Benghazi.

The attack killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Republicans are accusing the Obama administration of misleading Americans about the assault. It's a crucial issue for conservatives, the GOP voters who will be vital in next year's midterm elections.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-05-30-Benghazi%20Investigation/id-a836761cb2bb44be8f6808ed9a072d50

megamillions winners university of louisville louisville ky lotto winners mega ball winning numbers baltimore county current tv

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Dots Goes Multiplayer

dots logoStupid friggin' Dots. Seriously. When Dots first came out, half of the TechCrunch team was like "Maaan, Greg, you gotta play Dots. It's beautiful! It's addicting!" I, being a grumpy ass gaming snob, wrote it off as the world's billionth Bejeweled clone. But they kept pushing. Eventually, I gave in. Just one round. No big deal. Right?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/9hLm46_7bI4/

Sandy Hook Victims columbine Newton virginia tech shooting China glock 121212 Concert

Is It Finally Time to Forgive LeAnn Rimes for Her Affair?

"[My] whole life has been out there for everyone to judge," LeAnn Rimes said recently, in an interview with Us Weekly.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/leann-rimes-dishes-about-affair-eddie-cibrian/1-a-537497?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aleann-rimes-dishes-about-affair-eddie-cibrian-537497

Chicago sinkhole Panda Express illuminati illuminati ricin Google Fiber Boston Strong

Eventbrite (for Android)


Eventbrite for Android takes the popular event discovery and registration website and ports it to smartphones as a free app. Like the website, Eventbrite for Android (also available on the iOS platform) makes it extremely simple to find concerts, networking events, and cultural happenings in your city, sign up for them, and purchase tickets if necessary. There are a few minor niggles?you can't view registrations and ticket purchases that you made with different e-mail accounts, you can't create events, and there's scant venue information?but it's an app which social butterflies should have in their mobiles.

The Basics
Eventbrite for Android has two main browsing sections: Discover and My Tickets. Discover is where you land when you first boot up the app. The location-aware Eventbrite displays a list of upcoming events in your area using large, eye-catching, vertically stacked panels which you scroll through to find something of interest.

Tapping a panel, say New York City's The Governors Ball Music Festival 2013, opens the event listing. You can view a description, event hours, distance from your current location, and a Google Map image. I liked Eventbrite's provided information, but Yelp-like venue photos would help complete the experience.

You can streamline Discover searches with the Around Me and This Weekend filters. Around Me helped me dig up events near my home which included a cookout and a cystic fibrosis fundraiser. This Weekend showcases only those events falling on Saturday and Sunday?extremely useful for those who work traditional Monday-Friday schedules. Both Around Me and This Weekend let you sort events by distance, price, and date to further fine tune events. Unlike the Eventbrite website, Eventbrite for Android doesn't let users create events.

Event Registration and Ticket Purchasing
The registration process begins once you've found an intriguing event. You simply tap the big, green Register/Get Tickets icon (the label will change depending on whether the event is free or paid), select the number of registration/tickets using the drop-down box, and bring a finger to the Register/Order Now button. This initiates the checkout process in which you must input your name, email address, and credit/debit card information (if purchasing tickets) within a 15-minute time frame. If you don't complete the purchase within the allotted time, you lose the held ticket and will need to begin the process anew. You can also invite Facebook friends to events by tapping the Facebook icon and selecting a buddy.

My Tickets is where you can see all of your event registrations and ticket purchases, past and present. To view them, simply sign in with your pre-existing account credentials or the ones you created upon checkout. Some registrations come with barcodes so you can use your phone as a ticket instead of physically printing one out?very convenient. You can also add the event to your calendar or contact the organizer via email. The one drawback? Eventbrite doesn't support multiple account logins. This makes things a bit frustrating for people like me who use Eventbrite for both professional and personal reasons. The ability to switch between accounts would be a welcome addition.

Welcome to the Party, Pal
If you already use Eventbrite on a regular or semi-regular basis, downloading this app is a no-brainer. If you have no experience with the site, download the app anyway?it's a solid tool for discovering cool happenings in your area. Small flaws aside, Eventbrite for Android is an app that belongs in your Android arsenal.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/2xNneBn0xbQ/0,2817,2419714,00.asp

umf elite eight stephon marbury the lion king suzanne collins cherry blossom festival nc state

Connected Data to merge with Drobo, bring Transporter features to Drobo products

Connected Data to merge with Drobo, bring Transporter features to Drobo products

Connected Data, maker of Transporter, just announced that it's entered into a merger agreement with Drobo. As a refresher, Transporter is a cloud-based file sharing appliance that provides Dropbox-like functionality without the recurring subscription costs. Drobo's best known for its Ethernet, Thunderbolt, FireWire and USB-based multi-drive storage devices which offer seamless expandability. Presumably we'll start seeing some of Connected Data's file sharing features in upcoming Drobo products. The two companies have 30 days to finalize the merger process and perhaps even come up with a clever new brand -- we vote for DroboPorter ourselves. PR after the break.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/28/connected-data-to-merge-with-drobo-bring-transporter-features-t/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

oscar nominations 2012 kombucha tea separation of church and state dale earnhardt oscar predictions nba all star game 2012 academy awards 2012 nominations

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (APC), Noble Energy, Inc. (NBL), Murphy Oil Corporation (MUR): Which Large-Cap Domestic E&P Play Should You Bet On?

I am currently conducting a broad study of the US oil industry from small- capitalization refiners to large-capitalization integrated-oil companies. The shale revolution has added to the industry a dynamism that it has not had since the 20th century started. The US will become one of the world's biggest gas exporters and an energy powerhouse. Here I present three great exploration and production (E&P) companies. Let's see if any of this companies?should?be a part of your portfolio.

No free lunch: Quality comes with a high price tag

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:APC) is one of the largest independent oil and gas companies engaged in the E&P of natural gas, crude oil, and natural-gas liquids. Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:APC) operates mainly in North America, Algeria, Venezuela and Qatar. The company has approximately 2.6 billion barrels of oil equivalent (bboe) of proved reserves and more than 740 million?barrels of oil equivalent (mboed) worth of production.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:APC) is ameliorating its performance steadily. The company's adjusted 1Q 2013 earnings were 16% above consensus, up 18% year-over-year and 19% sequentially. Earnings benefited from?increased production, lower unit costs, and higher realized prices. The company's?continued growth in US?unconventional?resources has been?lifting production steadily and, hence, earnings.

Financially, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:APC) is also performing very well. Its net debt ratio fell to 31%,?from 33% at the end of last year. All of the above being said, the company trades at a relatively expensive level. At 2013 17x P/E and 6x P/CF, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:APC) is a great company trading at a very well-deserved premium to its peer group. I would buy it, if it was cheaper.

Successful asset diversification in progress but a bit too expensive.

Noble Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NBL)'s? main domestic operations are located in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Rockies. Besides this, Noble has relevant international investments in Israel, where huge offshore-gas projects such as the Leviathan field are located.

The first thing we should note when taking a look at Noble Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NBL) is that the company continues to make good progress diversifying its asset portfolio and growing its reserves and production with an increased focus on oil and liquids. As a matter of fact, results are coming in better than what's expected by most analysts.

For the first quarter, Noble Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NBL)'s adjusted earnings were 21% above consensus thanks to better-than-expected volumes and lower-than-expected costs and expenses. Earnings, however, declined 15% year-over-year and 10% sequentially on lower realized prices and lower volumes. Nevertheless, the company keeps on generating great amounts of cash. Noble Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NBL) should generate operating cash flow of approximately $3.2 billion this year and is expected to increase that number by 12% in 2014.

Having raised its quarterly dividend by 12% to $0.28 per share, Noble Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NBL) pays a 0.9% dividend yield and trades at 2013 17x P/E and 6.5x P/CF. Those multiples are a significant (I believe unjustified) premium to its peer group. Within this group of three companies, I think Noble is the least compelling alternative at the current market prices.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/InsiderMonkey/~3/6tbZBhkWCp0/

roland martin whitney houston dead at 48 whitney houston dead 2012 whitney houston passed away heartbreak hotel don cornelius whitney houston i will always love you

Samsung dominates the world?s biggest smartphone market as Apple?s struggles continue

A family practice doctor in Maine is refusing all forms of health insurance, including Medicare, in order, he says, to provide better service to his patients. Dr. Michael Ciampi told the Bangor Daily News that he wants to practice medicine without being dictated to by insurance companies. On April 1, Ciampi lowered his prices and [...]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/samsung-dominates-world-biggest-smartphone-market-apple-struggles-184054793.html

black forest ufc 144 fight card ufc 144 results acura nsx all star weekend 2012 giada de laurentiis howard hughes

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Aircraft Management - How You Can Find The Best In The Business

In this day and age, the aircraft industry is continuously experiencing an increasing need for it due to the fact that there are a lot of men and women who need to take an airplane in order for them to get to their destinations. In addition to that, governments in all parts of the globe also require these inventions for various purposes.

It comes to no surprise when you find some men and women who have their private jet or airplane because it is more convenient for them to have one as opposed to taking a commercial flight because they will be able to take it out at a moment's whim. However, these also require a lot of maintenance which is why it is necessary to hire the appropriate aircraft management services.

It is necessary to hire professional help because these are very huge complicated inventions. You do not have to worry due to the fact that there are a lot of companies that makes it their goal to provide you with these kinds of services. However, with the abundance of management companies, you might get confused and won't know which one to choose. One of the things you need to remember is that you spent a lot of your finances in order to obtain one of these luxuries which is why it is only understandable if you would want to hire the best in the business to take care of your plane and sees to it that it functions at its optimum capacity.

It is simply not enough to have these aircraft cared for on rare occasions. Keep in mind that these constant care which is why you don't have to be surprised when you will require the daily services of the experts to carry out the necessary work on your transport. Seeing to it that it is cared for on a daily basis is also a precautionary measure due to the fact that you will be able to determine if there is anything wrong with its system prior to take off.

Keep in mind that there are some questions that you need to ask yourself before you settle with a company. Ask yourself these questions so that you will be able to narrow down your search.

? How long has the company been in the business?
? Can they offer anything else aside from the basic services?
? Are their staff members fully qualified?
? What is their safety record?

Asking these basic questions will enable you to find the ideal aircraft management services you deserve and you will no longer have to worry so much because you know that you aircrafts are in good hands.

About the Author:
The author writes for http://iflymetroair.com which provides information regarding Aircraft management. MetroAir is a premier Central New York FAA-certified aircraft charter and aviation services company.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Aircraft-Management---How-You-Can-Find-The-Best-In-The-Business/4798424

westminster bonnaroo 2012 lineup twisted metal sea lion si swimsuit 2012 westminster dog show abe lincoln vampire hunter

Most Likely to Succeed

An unfinished "personalized page" from a student's book.

An unfinished "personalized page" from a student's book

Screenshot courtesy of TreeRing

You wouldn?t know it to look at the products, but the school yearbook business is kind of shady. There?s a good chance you and your kid?s school are paying way too much for yearbooks?sometimes thousands or tens of thousands a year too much.

Here?s how the traditional yearbook business works: When big yearbook providers sign up with a school, they ask the school to predict how many books it will need for the year. These estimates are due months before graduation. Because class sizes and demographics shift from year to year?and because some kids have stopped buying yearbooks altogether, thanks perhaps to Facebook?yearbook advisers don?t have much to go on when they?re making their guesses.

For schools and for parents, there are big costs to guessing wrong. If a school orders too few yearbooks, some kids who want a book will go without. That?s why schools tend to err on the side of guessing high?and then get stuck with unsold yearbooks, and a huge bill to the yearbook company. To cover costs of overprinting, some schools add an extra fee to the yearbooks?$10 or $20 per copy that you, the parent, must pay. Even so, lots of schools end up in hock to their yearbook providers. For instance, over the last few years, George Washington High School in San Francisco, one of the largest schools in the city, has had to eat the cost of so many unsold books that it now owes its yearbook company $50,000, according to the school?s yearbook adviser.

When Aaron Greco, a young tech entrepreneur, started sniffing around the yearbook business a few years ago, he was surprised by these shenanigans. The fundamental problem with the yearbook business, he realized, was that big yearbook providers were producing their books using offset printing?an expensive printing system that?s great for books with large print runs but that leads to high costs and little flexibility for yearbooks, whose print runs number in the hundreds or low thousands. Over the past decade, we?ve seen the rise of digital on-demand printing, which is now commonly used for photo books (the sort you order from Shutterfly or Blurb) and self-publishing. Greco had a brilliant idea: Why not use the same printing process for yearbooks?

Thus was born TreeRing, Greco?s four-year-old yearbook startup, which now serves 2,000 schools across the country and will produce about 200,000 yearbooks this year. By printing yearbooks on demand, TreeRing beats traditional yearbook companies in pretty much every way.

When schools sign up with TreeRing, they don?t have to pay anything to the company?TreeRing?s only economic relationship is with parents who buy the yearbooks, so schools will never end up in debt to the firm. What?s more, the school doesn?t have to make a guess about how many yearbooks it needs, because TreeRing prints a book only after a student orders it. Digital printing also lets students customize their books?in addition to the ?core? yearbook produced by the yearbook class, kids can add more pages that they design themselves. Finally?because schools don?t have to bake in the cost of overprinting, and because TreeRing prints books in the spring, when there?s excess capacity at on-demand printing facilities?TreeRing?s yearbooks are often cheaper than those offered by traditional yearbook providers.* TreeRing sells a 140-page hardcover yearbook?the average size for a high school?for around $50. That?s about $25 less than the price of a traditional high school yearbook.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=fabbe3f028851b92b5cf5feed81b36c3

vice presidential debate Martha Raddatz Chris Lighty JJ Watt jerry sandusky johnny depp hayden panettiere