For everything from family to computers…
Better be mindful of these to come…
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When the whole Kickstarter thing blew up earlier this year, there was always a very quiet suspicion. That amidst all the nostalgia and indie enthusiasm, someone would use the service to try and rip people off. Well, looks like we’ve got our first scammers. More »
from Kotaku
This is just a sham…
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Unless your band’s name ends with “etallica,” suing your fans for copyright infringement is very bad for publicity (and even if it does, that’s still a dick move Lars). So, imagine All Shall Perish’s surprise when they learned that a Panamanian copyright troll, which no one remembers hiring, recently filed suit against 80 of their fans. More »
from Gizmodo
South Korea’s Communications Commission is wresting control of the domestic cellphone market away from operators. From May 1st, it is opening the handset business open to any vendor, who will sell phones unlocked so consumers can decide their choice of network. The plan is aimed at lowering prices by introducing competition between the retailers — although some voices in the industry have expressed concerns that the operators will withdraw discounted offers in retaliation. Naturally, the KCC is determined to ensure a better deal for consumers, and is already strong-arming wayward networks into ensuring that doesn’t happen.
from Engadget
If Amazon’s been your internet safe haven from the ravages of sales tax, you may want to sit down. As part of a settlement with the great state of Texas, Bezos’ baby will start collecting the state’s requisite 6.25-percent sales tax on July 1st. The settlement resolves the online retailer’s ongoing dispute with the Lone Star state, which claimed that Amazon owed $269 million in back taxes. In addition to taking up collection, Amazon has agreed to create at least 2,500 jobs and invest a minimum of $200 million in capital investments, though it admits no fault, and believes “the assessment was without merit,” according to its latest SEC filing. Grouped in with Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota and Washington, this agreement makes Texas the sixth state to collect sales tax from Amazon — and California, Nevada and Arizona will join the collection club in due time. Check out the source links below for the Texas Comptroller’s official statement and more reading on Amazon’s tax agreements across the nation.
Amazon to collect sales tax, create 2,500 jobs in Texas originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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from Engadget
Nintendo has made a whopping loss of, depending on the precise measure used, around half a billion dollars. It’s the company’s worst performance since before the NES first launched.
There are two different figures in media reports, both technically accurate. The company’s operating income, which is effectively its profit or loss from doing business, was minus 37.3 billion yen (US$460 million.) Its net income, which takes into effect interest payments, taxes and miscellaneous transactions not connected to the core business (such as buying or selling property) was minus 43.2 billion yen (US$533 million.)
The loss, the worst for three decades, was actually lower than the company had expected. It was a drop in revenue rather than cost increases that caused the problem, with major factors including:
The biggest problem seems to be that the type of customers Nintendo was able to win over with the DS and Wii are the very people who are now more likely to splash a few bucks on smartphones and tablets rather than pay higher prices for console games, let alone buy new hardware.
Analysts are suggesting Nintendo may have to make the decision to allow its own software onto other systems — a decision current management don’t appear keen on.
[Via BBC News | 3DS Picture Source: Minhimalism – Flickr (CC)]
Thanks to a provision in the health care reform law, millions of consumers will be receiving rebates from their insurers this summer.
