| Aspen Technology to be delisted from Nasdaq
The delisting comes after a series of accounting misshaps dating back several years, resulting in the firing of CEO David McQuillin in 2004. The Cambridge, Mass., company (Nasdaq: AZPN) requested an extension for filing its 2007 fourth quarter and 2008 first quarter results, as well as restatements for fiscal 2005 and 2007. Nasdaq granted an extension to Aspen until Feb. 8, but it failed to meet that deadline and its second-quarter earnings deadline. Deloitte & Touche asked not to be reappointed as Aspen's accounting firm for 2008. Chief Executive Mark Fusco said he was disappointed with the delisting, and the company may appeal to the Nasdaq Listing and Hearing Review Council. The company will most likely be traded on the Pink Sheet Electronic Quotation Service.
Christie invite 'a mistake'
Former sprinter Linford Christie will not take part in a relay carrying the Olympic torch through London, it has been confirmed. Christie received a letter from London Mayor Ken Livingstone inviting him to take part in April's torch procession, but a spokesman for the Mayor said it had been sent by mistake. The Mayor's spokesman said: "The decision to invite Linford Christie to be a torchbearer was not taken by the Mayor. The decision to invite Linford Christie was taken by officials and was a mistake." The 47-year-old has a lifetime Olympic ban after testing positive for the steroid nandrolone in 1999, and international Olympic officials condemned the decision to invite him to the torch event. Christie, who won gold in the 100m at the 1992 Barcelona games and has always denied taking the banned drug, was sent the letter "as a formality", the spokesman said.
Ebook Readers the Kindle, iLiad Reviewed
Last spring, I shared my thoughts on the first-generation Sony Reader (see SLJ March 2007 "Test Drive," p. 23). While I found the ebook reading device somewhat flawed, I was quite impressed with its paperlike and retina-friendly E Ink display. Since then, I’ve had the chance to track the evolution of this technology by testing two other products that feature E Ink, the iRex iLiad and the Amazon Kindle. The iLiad. www.irextechnologies.com/products/iliad. $699. Still stoked from my experience with the Sony Reader, I was literally trembling with geeky excitement when I opened up the package containing the iRex iLiad. After all, this ebook reader promised some real improvements. For starters, the iLiad boasted a bigger touch-sensitive screen (8.1 inch, 122mm by 163mm)—one you could actually jot and save notes on.
Archive for: February, 2008
Digital Cameras Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives New Ricoh R8 sports wide 7.5x zoom lens in a compact body. Posted in: Digital Cameras [Updated: February 21, 2008 @ 5:28 am] I'm a big fan of extra-wide point-and-shoot cameras so I'm looking forward to getting a closer look at the new Ricoh R8, announced yesterday. Like its predecessor the R7 (which wasn't released in the U.S.), the R8 sports a fairly wide f/3.3-5.2 28mm-200mm-equivalent 7.5x zoom lens. Ricoh only recently re-entered the U.S. camera market with last year's launch of the GR Digital II and won't be shipping the R50 (another wide compact announced yesterday, with a 5x zoom) in the U.S. The R8 utilizes a 10-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch CCD with a CCD Shift Vibration Correction function (read CCD-shift image stabilization).
Jimmy Kimmel Takes a Bullet For My Valentine
(HER) Hot and breaking Bullet For My Valentine, currently at #4 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums charts with their sophomore release, "Scream Aim Fire" (Jive/Zomba) will make their U.S. network TV debut on Wednesday, February 27 when they rock the house on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live." The Welsh metal-core band will play the title track from their brand new album, currently Top 30 at Rock radio, as well as "Tears Don't Fail," one of the hit singles from their first album, "The Poison." "Jimmy Kimmel Live" airs at 12:05 ET/11:05PM CT. Immediately following their Kimmel appearance, Bullet For My Valentine will fly to Denver, CO where they will join fellow headliners Avenged Sevenfold and Atreyu to launch the 40-plus-city North American Taste of Chaos tour on Friday, February 29. Currently, Bullet For My Valentine is enjoying international success with a sold-out headline tour of Europe and the UK, and simultaneous Top 5 chart entries for "Scream Aim Fire" across the globe.
Dell shuts 140 retail kiosks in US
Dell on Wednesday announced the shutdown of retail kiosks in malls throughout the U.S. as it adjusts its evolving product distribution strategy. The closings comes at a time when Dell is repositioning its retail strategy to attract more customers by selling products through its Web site, retail outlets and over the phone. Dell had over 140 kiosks, called Dell Direct stores, for customers to buy products, including PCs, TVs and printers. Dell representatives staffed the kiosks and assisted buyers in choosing products and placing orders. The kiosks didn't actually carry inventory so products were shipped to buyers. This change does not impact Dell Direct stores in Canada, Asia-Pacific and Japan, said Lionel Menchaca, digital media manager at Dell in a blog entry.
Photo finish as Kodak unloads stake in film
Eastman Kodak Co has transferred its entire stake in Lucky Film Co Ltd, China's largest maker of photographic film, to end the two companies' four-year partnership.
Guangzhou Chengxin Venture and Investment Co took over the 20-percent stake, or 68.4 million shares, for US$37 million and then transferred a five-percent stake in Lucky to an investment company named Hongyu for 67 million yuan (US$9.3 million), Lucky said in a statement to Shanghai Stock Exchange yesterday.
Lucky's parent held a 43.16-percent stake after the transfer, the statement said.
The company's share price plunged 4.98 percent to 14.68 yuan yesterday while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.43 percent to 4,320.77.
Kodak invested US$100 million in Lucky in October 2003 believing that big potential existed in the film market in China.
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