Google Launches New Cloud Compute Engine, Enhances Google Apps, Drive
By: Robert J. Mullins 2012-06-28
At day two of its Google I/O developers’ conference, Google announced a new infrastructure-as-a-service offering as well as enhancements to Google Docs and its Google Drive cloud storage service.
Google is stepping up its game in the infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) space by introducing Google Compute Engine for hosting applications on the company’s massive computing infrastructure.
Compute Engine, which Google said June 28 is available as a limited preview for now, was introduced on the second day of the Google I/O 2012 developer’s conference in San Francisco. Also revealed were new capabilities in various Google Apps products that can now be integrated with the recently-released Google Drive for cloud storage. Google also detailed updates to the Chrome Web
Minor alien invasion OK with most Americans, poll shows
As part of its new "Chasing UFOs" series, the National Geographic Channel conducted a poll to assess Americans' views on the paranormal. By Amy Hubbard Los Angeles Times June 28, 2012
LOS ANGELES — More than 80 million Americans believe that UFOs exist and many of them are not afraid of an alien drop-in, according to a new study.
As part of its new "Chasing UFOs" series, the National Geographic Channel conducted a poll to assess Americans' views on the paranormal. The study found that 11 percent of those polled believed they had seen a UFO.
By CHRISTINA REXRODE AP Business Writer NEW YORK June 28, 2012
When the stock market began tumbling Thursday, many people assumed the selloff had something to do with the Supreme Court ruling to uphold President Barack Obama's health care law. But for a lot of investors, it was the same old concerns about Europe, along with a few new worries.
The market fell sharply in early trading, before the high court's announcement, as investors questioned whether a European Union meeting in Brussels would yield the same results as many meetings before it — vague pledges, rather than concrete plans for what to do with struggling countries like Greece and Spain.
BlackBerry maker RIM posts huge loss and cuts 5,000 jobs
By Roger Yu, USA TODAY Jun 28, 2012
Struggling to fend off competition from iPhone and Android, BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is hemorrhaging losses.
Despite pledges by its new CEO to focus more heavily on marketing and better products, RIM reported Thursday a fiscal first-quarter loss that was greater than expected by analysts and said it'll cut 5,000 jobs.
The Canadian company will also delay releasing BlackBerry 10 -- a new mobile operating system developed to compete with Apple's iOS and Android -- until later this year.
Sales for the most recent quarter plummeted by 43% from a year ago to $2.8 billion. Its net loss totaled $518 million vs. a net income of $695 million a year ago.
"Our first-quarter results reflect the market challenges I have outlined since my appointment as CEO at the end of January. I am not satisfied with these results and continue to work aggressively with all areas of the organization," said Thorsten Heins, RIM's CEO.
About 7.8 million BlackBerry phones and 260,000 PlayBook tablets were shipped in the last quarter, falling short of analysts' estimates. Once the favored phone of enterprise customers, BlackBerry's share in the market totals only about 6.4%, according to research firm IDC. iPhone, with 59% of the market, is the most popular smartphone by far, while Android has 23%.
With its stock down 68% from a year ago, analysts speculate RIM or parts of the company will be acquired. Heins also has hired investment bankers to seek strategic options, though he said earlier this year that finding a buyer wasn't his primary objective. Its stock fell 0.5% down Thursday to end at $9.13.
"The numbers were bad, worse than we hoped," says Jeff Kagan, an independent technology analyst. "And their next generation device, which was expected this fall, now won't be available until next year. They still have customers who love them, but they are simply losing business too quickly."
GLOBAL MARKETS-US stocks sag on healthcare ruling, euro dips
By Richard Leong NEW YORK | Fri Jun 29, 2012 2:26am IST
(Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Thursday after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Obama administration's healthcare overhaul law, while the euro hit a three-week low as divisions among European leaders at a meeting in Brussels further diminished hopes of urgent measures to tackle the region's debt crisis.
However, Wall Street shares and the euro staged a late bounce from session lows as traders reduced early bets on a disappointing outcome from the European Union summit, just in case the region's politicians deliver a positive surprise, traders said.
The high court upheld the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform law that requires most Americans to get insurance by 2014 or pay a fine. Republican leaders and other opponents who claim the law is too costly and an over-reach of government power vowed to repeal it.
Missing Millionaire's Mom and Wife Head to Court Over $100 Million Fortune
By CHRISTINA NG (@ChristinaNg27)
June 28, 2012
Missing Florida millionaire Guma Aguiar specified in a handwritten note on a 2011 legal filing obtained by ABCNews.com that he objected to the appointment of his wife "to serve in any capacity" over his person or property.
The instructions from Aguiar, written in July 2011, surfaced in the midst of a vicious legal battle between his mother and wife over control of his $100 million fortune. After five legal filings in just one week, a Florida judge will decide today who gets control of the millionaire's assets.
Blasts erupt near Syrian ministry; Clinton in Russia for meeting
By the CNN Wire Staff updated 6:10 PM EDT, Thu June 28, 2012
(CNN) -- On the eve of a key gathering of world diplomats, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets Friday with her Russian counterpart in a bid to find common ground on the crisis in Syria.
The St. Petersburg meeting between Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to include discussion of Russian arm sales to the Syrian regime, a State Department official told reporters this week.
Clinton will attend Saturday's emergency meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, led by Kofi Annan, the United Nations' and Arab League's special envoy for Syria. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he hopes the meeting marks a "turning point" in diplomatic efforts.
To her credit Ann Curry didn’t pretend on Thursday that she was leaving “Today” on NBC voluntarily or happily.
Ms. Curry turned to the camera and delivered a tearful farewell that was gallant and also embarrassingly maudlin and grandiose and that pretty much summed up why she got the hook after just one year in the host chair next to Matt Lauer.
