China Mobile team up on 4G

China Mobile Communications Corp and Clearwire Corp have teamed up to develop high-speed mobile devices and infrastructure, potentially giving the cash-strapped U.S. 4G operator a technological boost.

Shares of Clearwire were up 8 percent at $2.76 after a brief trading suspension.

Under their agreement, the world's largest telecoms carrier by users will work on chipsets and devices for TD-LTE, a 4G wireless technology, that should be available by 2012.

Clearwire announced in August it was looking for almost $1 billion in funding to help upgrade its network with Long Term Evolution (LTE) -- an emerging high-speed technology. TD-LTE is a variant on that standard.

Sprint Nextel Corp has held talks with cable partners about supporting their loss-making Clearwire wireless venture in the face of increasing competition from bigger rivals, sources have said.

Nintendo's 3DS rescue

Nintendo's attempt to rescue its failed 3DS handheld games gadget with a raft of new games content fell short of expectations and left investors pessimistic about the outlook for the long-time industry champion.

Nintendo's shares slid 5 percent on Tuesday in a strong broader market as investors said content would not enable the 3DS to fight off growing competition from smartphones and tablets.
The Kyoto-based company has already been forced to slash prices to try to boost slumping demand, leaving only its famed content, never made available on other firms' hardware, to revive sales.
At a subdued event held two days ahead of the Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata unveiled what he said was an unprecedented range of games, including some featuring the company's much-loved Mario character and others aimed at attracting women customers.
Analysts said the line-up lacked a "wow" factor, while investors said it was largely irrelevant.
"I don't think the new games will make any difference," said Mitsuhige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment.
"Nintendo succeeded by pulling in people who weren't gamers and their needs now are no longer being filled by Nintendo, they are happy playing games on their mobile phones," he said.
With sales of its DS and Wii fading, Nintendo was relying on the new 3D model to revive profits and fend off renewed competition from motion-gaming peripherals of Sony Corp and Microsoft. Many casual gamers are also flocking to devices such as Apple's blockbuster iPhone and iPad.
As of Monday's close, Nintendo's shares had sunk 46 percent since the start of the year, hit by the slump in sales of its glasses-free 3D-capable games device and doubts that it can replicate the success of its Wii home console.

Friend Lists system

Social networking giant Facebook has unveiled its new friends list system that would allow users to categorize groups of friends more easily.

According to the BBC, Facebook's updated 'Friend Lists system', is seen as a reaction to the Circles feature on Google+.
Users would now have better control over how their connections are grouped, with some lists, such as work and family, created automatically.
According to the report, the new Smart Lists feature will create categories based on the relationship between a user and their friends.
Now, new "close friends" and "acquaintances" lists would allow users to filter who they see updates from.
The changes appear to be aimed at users who are attracted by the ability to create groups using Google Circles.
Presently, Facebook remains the world's most popular social network, but Google+ is expected to hit 100 million users this year.

Vita Japan sale

Sony's upgraded portable video game machine PlayStation Vita is going on sale in Japan on Dec. 17 with 26-game software going on sale on the same date, but it's still not available overseas until next year.

The competition in portable gaming is almost certain to intensify in Japan, ahead of the rest of the world, during the year-end shopping season.
The launch of the PlayStation Vita coincides with Japanese rival Nintendo Co. going on the offensive with new game titles for its portable 3DS, which did not go on sale in time for last year's holidays.
Sony has already said the Vita won't be ready in the U.S. or Europe until next year. The company did not give overseas sales dates, and said such details were undecided.
Hiroshi Kawano, head of Sony Corp.'s gaming unit, Sony Computer Entertainment, announced a Japan tie-up with major mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo for the PlayStation Vita, including a prepaid data reception plan of a 100 hours at 4,980 yen ($65).
In an effort to woo buyers, Kawano said 100 hours of free playing on the 3G mobile network will be offered with the first 500,000 purchase of Vita machines.
During his nearly two hour presentation at a Tokyo event hall, Kawano repeatedly stressed Sony was serious about pushing the Vita, which he said was targeting casual gamers playing on cellphones as well as hard-core fans who own PlayStation 3 home consoles.
He acknowledged a view in the gaming industry that energy was running low, but he said he was determined to make Vita a chance for growth.
"I believe the gaming industry can help bring a revival," he said, referring to the lagging overall Japanese economy.
In the past, Nintendo, which makes Super Mario and Pokemon games, has beaten Sony offerings in portables.
Nintendo has sold nearly 150 million DS handheld machines, outpacing the Sony PlayStation Portable at 71 million. Both machines went on sale in 2004.
But Nintendo's latest offering, the 3DS, which features glasses-free 3-D imagery, has gotten off to a relatively slow start, at 4.32 million sold so far around the world.
Appearing at a presentation Tuesday for the 3DS, the usually boastful Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said the company needs to do more to attract women to the 3DS, as that hasn't happened as it has with the DS and Wii home console.
Nintendo has already slashed the price of its 3DS. Starting last month, it cost 15,000 yen in Japan, down from 25,000. In the U.S., the price dropped to $169.99 from $249.99.
The PlayStation Vita will cost $249 in the U.S., and 24,980 yen in Japan, for a Wi-Fi only version, and $299 and 29,980 yen for a version that will also have a cellphone service.

Blackberry Messenger

Social networking site Facebook has launched its own mobile messaging service to challenge the marketing space occupied by the Blackberry Messenger (BBM).

The app, called 'Facebook Messenger', launched in the US only, allows members of the social networking site send instant messages on their mobile for free to anyone in their 'friends' list.
In a direct bid to rival BBM, the new Facebook app, also allows people to send messages to friends on their mobile contacts list and push out group messages too, the Telegraph reports.
The free Facebook Messenger app is available on both Android and iOS devices, but there are no dates revealed for when it would be made available outside the US.
Facebook engineer Lucy Zhang wrote a blog post explaining the new service.
"More and more of us rely on our phones to send and receive messages. But it isn't always easy to know the best way to reach someone on their phone. Should you send an email or text? Which will they check first? Did they even get your last message?" Zhang wrote.
"We think messaging should be easier than that. You should be able to write a message, click 'Send' and know that you will reach the person right away," he added.
BBM is understood to have over 45 million users around the world.
Facebook, having over 750 million users worldwide, might be able to steal away some of it market share in the growing mobile instant messenger market, the paper said.

Mumbai Blasts Being Studied

A top official says that investigators are examining forensic evidence and footage from closed circuit televisions for clues about the triple bomb blasts that shook India's business hub of Mumbai and killed 17.
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told CNN-IBN news channel on Friday that investigators had collected evidence such as blood samples and explosive materials from the bombing sites and were also analyzing security footage for more clues into the attacks.
No one has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attacks and investigators have named no immediate suspects.
The bombings were the worst terror attack in Mumbai since a 2008 siege in which 166 people were killed over three days.
'Mumbai, Thane and other parts of the state are teeming with migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and illegal Bangladeshis. Unless the government checks the influx of migrants, such acts of terror will not stop,' he said at a press conference here.
Thackeray said the migrants are indulging in all types of criminal activities, ranging from rapes to murders, and many such cases have been exposed in the past few days.
Elaborating on his theory, he said there is absolutely no monitoring of how many migrants come to Mumbai daily, who they are, where they come from, where they live in Mumbai, what is their business and where all they go.
'We have blamed police and intelligence enough in all these years, now it is time to check on the migrants. They come and occupy every vacant space of land belonging to the central, state or civic authorities. 40,000 hutments are constructed on Mumbai's drinking water pipelines. Later, they are pampered as vote-banks and given free flats. What is being done about all this?' Thackeray said.
Demanding a check on each migrant who enters Maharashtra from different entry points, he said that today nobody knows whether the migrants are carrying vegetables or bombs in their baskets.
'They blatantly enter Mumbai, live on railway platforms or footpaths and there is no check on them. After every terror attack, the names of ISI (Pakistan spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence), (terror outfits) LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba), IM (Indian Mujahideen) and others are thrown up, but who provides them the local logistical support?' he asked.
Thackeray then asked a media person whether he knew where the kitchen of Taj Mahal Hotel is situated. When the media person said he did not, Thackeray said even he did not know - but Kasab, the Pakistani terrorist caught alive in the 28/11 attack, was aware of it.

Fukushima Children To Receive Radiation Meters

Radiation meters will be distributed to about 34,000 children living in the largest city near the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant to monitor their exposure levels, a city official said Tuesday.
The decision to hand out the meters comes amid growing concern over the safety of children as the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima plant drags on, posing potential long-term health risks.
The devices, called dosimeters, will be distributed in September to children between the ages of four and 15 living in Fukushima city, which has recorded relatively high radiation levels since a massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami severely damaged the nuclear plant.
Dosimeters have already been supplied to area schools but not to each student, according to city official Koichi Kato. Other towns in the area have begun similar measures, but Fukushima's plan is the largest to date.
"We intend to continue the program for about three months," Kato said. "We are still considering whether to expand it further to include other residents."
Fukushima city, where about 300,000 people live, is 45 miles (60 kilometers) from the nuclear facility.
The government has established a 12-mile (20-kilometer) "no-go" zone around the plant, and a further 6-mile (10-kilometer) ring outside of that in which residents — particularly pregnant women and children — have been instructed to take special precautions and be prepared to evacuate.
Some 80,000 people have been forced from their homes by the crisis, leaving nearby towns almost completely empty. Many children from those towns are now going to classes in or around Fukushima city.
Because Fukushima city is outside the area that has been officially designated as too dangerous to live in, schools, businesses and government offices continue to operate as usual.
But health concerns remain high in Fukushima despite government assurances that exposure levels appear to be within acceptable limits.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of radiation, so parents and some private groups have demanded stronger measures to protect them.
Schools have responded by limiting the amount of time children are allowed to play outside or in swimming pools, and many extracurricular sports programs have been moved into covered gymnasiums.
Still, the Fukushima plan is seen as insufficient by several groups leading a petition campaign to lower the acceptable exposure level for children from 20 millisieverts per year — the same level as adults — to 1 millisievert per year.
Twenty millisieverts of radiation is roughly equivalent to the exposure a person would receive from an X-ray.
"The meters don't protect children from radiation, they simply measure exposure after a certain amount of time," said Aileen Mioko Smith of Green Action, a private group involved in the petition. "Children should be moved out of areas where radiation levels are high, not used as guinea pigs."

Sensex Down

The BSE benchmark Sensex dropped by 134 points in early trade today due to fresh selling pressure in realty, banking, auto and metal stocks amid weak Asian cues. Profit-booking by speculators after two sessions of gains also dragged the Sensex down. Banking stocks, which posted handsome gains in the recent rally, fell on profit-booking. The 30-share Sensex resumed lower at 18,425.85 and declined further to 18,390.57 before quoting at 18,475.20 points at 1015 hours, showing a net loss of 133.61, or 0.72 per cent, from its last close. The NSE 50-share Nifty also fell by 42.90 points, or 0.77 per cent, to 5,549.10 at 1015 hours from its previous close. The major losers in early trade were ICICI Bank (down 2.77 per cent), Tata Motors (2.67 per cent), M&M (2.17 per cent), DLF (1.82 per cent), Maruti Suzuki (1.72 per cent) and Jaiprakash Associates (1.68 per cent). In addition, the cautious approach adopted by investors ahead of the release of food inflation data later today also dampened the sentiment, traders said. Asian stocks dropped earlier today after weak US data raised questions about future demand for Asian exports as well as the likely trajectory of economic growth.

3i Infotech Sells Billing

Global information technology company 3i Infotech Limited has signed an agreement to sell its US-based Global Billing and Payments unit, consisting of Regulus Group and J&B Software, to an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management LP for USD 137 million (Rs 617 crore). 3i Infotech acquired J&B Software in 2007 and Regulus Group in 2008, and the companies were integrated to form the Global Billing & Payments unit of 3i Infotech, according to a company statement. The transaction is expected to close within the next 60 days, subject to customary closing conditions and any regulatory approvals. "The divestment reduces the leverage and strengthens the balance sheet of 3i Infotech," said 3i Infotech Managing Director & Global CEO V Srinivasan. "This enables 3i Infotech to go back to its roots as a significant IT products and services player while at the same time allowing the billing and payments unit to be acquired by an organisation interested in growing it as an independent company." Cerberus Managing Director and spokesperson Tim Price said: "Cerberus has the financial resources and operational expertise to help this business build additional value through operating efficiencies and growth. As a standalone entity, the company will continue to focus on delivering the best products and highest quality services to its clients." "We are looking forward to partnering with Cerberus on the next stage of our company''s growth," said Kathy Hamburger, the Chief Executive Officer and President of the US-based Global Billing and Payments division. Cerberus Capital Management is a private investment firm with USD 23 billion of capital under management. Shares of 3i Infotech were trading at Rs 50.35 in early trade on the BSE, up 0.70 per cent from the previous close.