Iphone 5 Design Thrills Partners, but Will Cost Users

The following is an excerpt from an article in:


The New York Times
Thursday, September 13, 2012

Iphone 5 Design Thrills Partners, but Will Cost Users

By BRIAN X. CHEN

The iPhone 5 has plenty of new features to keep Apple fans happy. But there is one feature Apple unveiled on Wednesday that is likely to annoy many: a new connector on the phone’s base.

The Lightning port, as Apple calls it, is smaller and shaped differently from the old one, instantly rendering obsolete the millions of spare charging cords, docks and iPhone-ready clock radios that its customers have accumulated over the years.

While irritating to some, the Lightning connector could be a boon to the hundreds of companies that sell accessories for iPhones and iPads.

“Apple is testing the patience of its fans,” said Tero Kuittinen, an independent analyst and a vice president of Alekstra, a company that helps customers manage cellphone costs.

“A lot of Apple fans have a lot of different accessories and use the old systems, so this is going to be a fairly expensive shift for a lot of them,” Mr. Kuittinen said. Makers of iPhone accessories are likely to be ecstatic, he added.

Apple, which is selling Lightning cables and $30 adapters that will connect the new phones to many but not all older accessories, is, of course, poised to profit from the design change as well. Apple said the smaller connector allowed it to make the phone thinner and use space inside the device more efficiently.

Accessories for Apple products are already a vast and lucrative business. In the last year, iPad, iPod and iPhone add-ons, including speakers, cases and power chargers, generated $2 billion in sales in the United States alone, according to the NPD Group, a research firm.

For more, visit www.nytimes.com.

Disruptions: Apple Patent Fight With Samsung Spills Some iPhone and iPad Secrets

The following is an excerpt from an article in 

The New York Times
Monday, August 06, 2012

Disruptions: Apple Patent Fight With Samsung Spills Some iPhone and iPad Secrets

By NICK BILTON

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Back in the early 1930s, a magician by the name of Horace Goldin went to court to defend his signature illusion: sawing a woman in half.

Mr. Goldin filed a lawsuit against the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for using this magic trick in an advertisement and explaining how it worked. According to an article in The New York Times from March 1933, Mr. Goldin, who had won a patent for the illusion a decade earlier, asserted that the ad had adversely affected his ability to get people to see his shows. He asked for $50,000 in damages. (That's about $865,000 in today's dollars.)

I thought about Mr. Goldin last week as I sat in a federal courtroom here in the capital city of Silicon Valley. I listened to evidence presented in a patent lawsuit that Apple has brought against Samsung Electronics. Apple claims that Samsung copied its designs for the iPhone and the iPad.

You see, even just by filing his patent, and then using it to litigate, Mr. Goldin publicly drew attention to the secrets of his profession. Apple, by going to a jury trial to defend the patents of its most prized products, is also allowing competitors and the public to see inside one of the most secretive companies in the world.

Steven P. Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, was very much in the mold of a magician. People often spoke of being sucked into a "reality distortion field" as he pitched his new products. Anyone who closely watched those dramatic announcements may recall how he repeatedly used the word "magical" to describe his latest devices.

Nuance Powers Voice Dictation for Snapguide App for iPhone and iPad

New App Features Power of Dragon to Let People Speak Captions as They create How-To Guides on their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad

For more, click the link below:

http://www.nuance.com/company/news-room/press-releases/snapguidendev.doc

Basketball Brackets Give Way to Tax Brackets

Basketball Brackets Give Way to Tax Brackets
H&R Block can help on-the-go tax filers save time and money with mobile filing apps

FOR RELEASE MAR 28, 2012

While mobile technology brings the latest tournament basketball scores and bracket updates to fans’ smartphones, it also brings tax filing to the fingertips of tax return filing procrastinators. In roughly the time it takes for a TV timeout, taxpayers can complete and file a tax return using the latest in mobile technology.

In addition to checking brackets on a smartphone or tablet, taxpayers can easily and quickly file a federal form for free with H&R Block. On the iPad tablet, filing the 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ forms is free all tax season. Taxpayers with smartphones can file both a simple federal form and state form completely free through April 17 using the industry’s only fully free mobile tax filing products. Just download the free H&R Block At Home™ 1040EZ app on the iPhone and an Android smartphones, and the rest is a slam dunk. 

“While the hoops tournament is down to its final four teams, taxpayers can score an easy victory with H&R Block’s entirely free mobile filing app for federal 1040EZ and state tax returns using our iPhone and Android apps,” said Jason Houseworth, president of digital tax solutions at H&R Block. 

$100,000 Sweepstakes Count Down
Even if their team is no longer playing, H&R Block At Home clients can still win big in the company’s $100,000 Grand Prize Giveaway. To date more than 1,200 clients across the country have won more than $200,000 in the sweepstakes by using the H&R Block At Home digital tax filing products. 

In addition to the $100,000 grand prize that will be awarded after April 17, daily cash prizes of $50, $100 and $500 are given away every hour, all day through April 17 to taxpayers who file their tax returns using the H&R Block At Home software, online or iPad tablet products. For the official rules and other sweepstakes information, visit www.hrbathomegiveaway.com/shared.

The H&R Block At Home products offer the H&R Block guarantees of free audit support, free audit representation, accurate calculations and the maximum tax refund to which the taxpayer is entitled.

H&R Block’s tax professionals provide guaranteed tax return preparation services in-person at retail tax offices open year-round and through Block Live^SM, the only face-to-face online tax preparation experience available in the industry. Do-it-yourself filers benefit from the expertise and guidance of The Tax Institute at H&R Block^® when using H&R Block At Home™ on their computers, tablets and smart phones. Because understanding taxes is an integral part of managing personal finances, H&R Block keeps the conversation going with clients all year via blogs, tweets and Facebook status updates.

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Cisco Unveils Visual Collaboration Solutions in the Post-PC Era, Extending the Reach of TelePresence with New Mobile-to-Immersive Offerings

PRESS RELEASE

Cisco Unveils Visual Collaboration Solutions in the Post-PC Era, Extending the Reach of TelePresence with New Mobile-to-Immersive Offerings

New Immersive Room System Transforms How TelePresence Can be Used in High-Impact Meetings; Integrates with New Jabber Releases for iPad, Windows

ORLANDO, FL – March 27, 2012 – At the Enterprise Connect trade show, Cisco today introduced new people-centric innovations aimed at making it easier for people to collaborate anywhere, anytime in the post-PC era. The innovations, ranging from new desktop and mobile Cisco Jabber™  collaboration applications to Cisco TelePresence® systems, make it easy for users to move from one collaboration solution to the next based on how they work and their immediate task at hand (for example, moving from instant messaging to voice to video with the click of a button). The new Jabber and TelePresence offerings, which include a new immersive TelePresence system with optimized collaboration capabilities, are completely integrated, giving customers more mobility options while also extending the reach of their telepresence investments. Cisco specifically announced:

·         Powerful tools to extend the reach of TelePresence. Cisco is extending Cisco Jabber to iPad and Windows, building on its extensive Jabber portfolio for Android, iOS, Mac, BlackBerry and Cisco Cius™ tablets. With this development, Cisco is enabling Jabber customers to collaborate from anywhere and across the most popular operating systems utilizing high definition video, voice, presence, instant messaging, desktop sharing, conferencing and visual voicemail. Cisco is also expanding native integration between Jabber and TelePresence, giving mobile users a way to initiate and connect into a TelePresence session whether in the office or on the go. 

·         A new three-screen immersive TelePresence platform. The Cisco TelePresence TX9000 Series delivers the highest quality video experience along with advanced collaboration capabilities*, further building on Cisco's wide array of TelePresence endpoints for customers of all sizes. The TX9000 integrates with collaboration tools like Cisco WebEx with One-Touch simplicity and is also designed to be interoperable with all standards-based endpoints from other vendors.

·         Numerous customer and partner use cases for visual collaboration. A variety of customers and partners across healthcare, financial services, and oil and gas industries are deploying Cisco collaboration solutions to increase productivity and enable their employees to work on their own terms.

These developments come at a time when people increasingly expect freedom of choice in how and where they work, and that includes having access to a variety of integrated collaboration solutions and interoperable endpoints–both hardware and software based. As a result, IT managers are looking to provide highly secure, enterprise-class options that enable employees to interact across a broad range of tools whether collaborating in dedicated immersive telepresence rooms or via PCs, Macs, tablets, or smart phones – and any standards-based endpoint within and between organizations.

These innovations also are occurring as the need for rich video solutions and mobility is burgeoning. According to Cisco's latest Visual Networking Index, globally, 3 trillion minutes or 6 million years of video content will cross the Internet each month in 2015 and by 2016, global mobile data traffic will reach 10.8 exabytes per month (130 exabytes annually); growing 18-fold from 2011 to 2016. By 2016, mobile video will represent 71 percent of all mobile data traffic.

Additional Announcement Details:

Extending the Reach of TelePresence from the Boardroom to the Desktop and Beyond

A little more than five years ago, Cisco drove the creation of TelePresence with the introduction of the first truly intuitive and lifelike, in-person video experience. Cisco is continuing to innovate with the newly designed three-screen TX9000 immersive system that is intended to combine the highest quality TelePresence experience with advanced collaboration and content sharing capabilities. The TX9000 builds on Cisco's broad portfolio of endpoints that extends from the boardroom to the desktop and beyond.

·         From Immersive Video to High-Intensity Collaboration

·         As the pace of business becomes more complex, the meetings that drive decisions are becoming more dynamic and data-centric, requiring multiple inputs for quick turns. These types of business-critical meetings range from brainstorming sessions to product engineering and design, acquisition integration, and crisis communication planning for globally distributed teams, require high-intensity collaboration capabilities that allow people to easily share and interact with content in TelePresence meetings in ways not previously possible. These advanced collaboration capabilities include sharing content on the main TelePresence screens, point and highlight capabilities, white boarding, moving content from screen to screen, and introducing data from multiple content sources*.

·         Advanced Cisco WebEx® integration enables one-button-to-push simplicity for scheduling and starting WebEx® and TelePresence integrated meetings with future capabilities to support adding WebEx ad hoc to any TelePresence call using the Cisco TelePresence Touch interface.

·         New Immersive TelePresence Benchmark

·         TX9000 boasts a new state of the art, sleek industrial design with modern look and premium finish.

·         Innovative camera configuration enhances eye-contact among participants while the technology and cameras blend seamlessly into the background.

·         The system is capable of supporting 1080p, 60 frames per second (fps) while data sharing capabilities support 1080p 30 fps.*

·         Easily start and manage meetings using the Cisco TelePresence Touch user interface with "one button to push" simplicity that provides a consistent experience across the entire Cisco collaboration product portfolio.

·         TX9000 can accommodate six users and the TX9200 comes with a second table that can seat up to 18 users.

·         Provides native interoperability support for SIP, BFCP, H.264 and Telepresence Interoperability Protocol (TIP).

·         Reduced Cost of Ownership and Ease of Set Up

·         TX9000 requires 20 percent less bandwidth than its Cisco predecessor.

·         Significant improvements in ease of partner installation allowing start up in as quickly as two days

·         System does not require any additional specialized lighting or audio.

·         Deployment flexibility options for wall-mounted or free-standing light reflector.

·         Pricing and Availability

·         The TX9000 is targeted to begin shipping in the second quarter of calendar year 2012 with the advanced collaboration and content sharing features targeted for availability later in the calendar year.* List pricing in the United States starts at $299,000. Regional variations may apply.

Extending Cisco Jabber to iPad and Windows and More TelePresence Users

People require a work experience that travels with them, across location, device, and platform. Cisco Jabber releases for iPad and Windows deliver advanced collaboration capabilities to your preferred device.

·         Jabber for iPad:

·         Allows users to access high-quality video, voice, presence, instant messaging, conferencing, and visual voicemail capabilities on the iPad.

·         Jabber for iPad delivers a complete collaboration experience for mobile workers who need instant access to information and decision makers and want to choose when, where, and how they work.

·         Jabber for iPad delivers a standards-based experience built on the same high-quality video engine as Jabber Video for TelePresence and Jabber desktop applications. Jabber for iPad uses H264, XMPP and SIP.

·         Jabber for Windows:

·         A unified client – meaning an end user has one place to go to be able to access a range of communication and collaboration tools including high-definition video, voice, presence, IM (point to point, group, persistent chat) desktop sharing and web conferencing, and visual voicemail access.

·         Cisco Jabber for Windows features a highly intuitive user experience, allowing for point and click access to multiple forms of communication and seamless integration into Microsoft Office.

·         Cisco Jabber for Windows integrates an advanced engine to deliver HD video to the desktop. This technology uses extremely efficient, industry leading codecs and enables customers to use standards-based H.264 HD quality video with common dual-core processor computers while improving performance over lower bandwidth networks.

·         Jabber for Windows uses also XMPP, SIP and BFCP standards.

Cisco Jabber releases for Windows and iPad can be used with on-premises and cloud-based deployment options. Target availability for Jabber for Windows and Jabber for iPad is in the second quarter of calendar year 2012. Cisco Jabber for iPad, Jabber for Windows and related server software are included as part of Cisco Unified Workspace Licensing.

Supporting Quotes: 

William Moore, executive vice president / chief technology officer, CareCore National

With Cisco's video solutions, disparate groups – anybody in the organization as well as truly anybody external – can interact with us face-to-face through TelePresence or using WebEx conference, allowing for more efficient communication and improved collaboration from any location.  Cisco Jabber gives the flexibility in the method of communication, starting with presence and IM, extending its reach to a higher level of communication via desktop sharing, conferencing, and TelePresence sessions.  With these tools, we are able to provide an in-person experience internally as well as with customers and vendors, saving time and improving customer interaction."

Andy Dignan, senior manager unified communications, CDW

"Cisco Jabber is an effective tool for addressing the rapid proliferation of mobile devices in workplaces. Today, several of our solution architects use the Cisco Jabber client on Windows, Mac, Cius, and iPhone devices, and are excited about the new iPad client with HD video.  The Jabber Web plug-in augments the client offering letting us embed real-time unified communications and collaboration into our web-based portal to find product experts, see presence, and click to make voice and video calls in real-time. By embedding UC into our workflow, we're increasing productivity which helps us better serve our customers."

Mike Fitzgerald, managing director and head of information systems, Eagle Investment Systems

"Eagle has a highly mobile workforce across the globe. We are pioneering a high performance workplace that provides flexibility by enabling communications from laptops, tablets, and smart phones. With the Cisco Jabber and TelePresence operating from a common architecture, employees can use any of these devices and any operating systems for collaboration, which includes real-time communication methods to improve their productivity."

Steve Moloney, global network and security manager, McDermott

"McDermott uses Cisco Jabber to provide a unified experience across the company's desktops, tablets, and smart phones, to extend the reach of our TelePresence suite. We believe the adoption of Cisco TelePresence and UC technologies will improve the telecommunication facets to support our complex offshore oil and gas engineering, procurement, construction, and installation projects."

Emrah Aygun, IT infrastructure manager, Turkiye Is Bankasi

"We strive to provide our employees and customers with consistent communications capabilities and a uniform user experience, regardless of what device they are using. In the coming months, we intend to deploy Cisco Jabber to all our 23,000 bank employees—on PCs, Cisco Cius, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry--to provide them with presence, instant messaging, voice, single number reach to mobile devices, unified messaging, WebEx meetings and TelePresence at their desk and on the go. This Cisco UC client deployment will be part of our "one vision" initiative for Turkiye Is Bankasi's future where our customers can communicate with their bank using different channels and locations, with the same service level throughout the nation."

Keld Jersild Olsen, chief executive officer, NetDesign

"As a long-time Cisco partner and early field trial account for the new Cisco TelePresence TX9000, we are excited to offer our customers the next generation immersive telepresence experience.  From the onset of immersive telepresence five years ago, it was about delivering the best face-to-face meeting experience in a controlled room environment where meeting participants felt as if they were in the same room, around the same table.  With the TX9000, Cisco is not only carrying the same robust feature set forward, but they are also delivering advanced collaboration tools which will provide the ultimate in-person meeting experience.  With its streamlined design, easier installation and innovative collaborative platform, the new TX9000 will strengthen our overall immersive telepresence portfolio and enable us to deliver a more compelling business transformation experience to our customers."
 

Torben Bonde chief information officer, Vestas

"We use TelePresence heavily, with two areas especially benefitting by it – our Turbines R&D department and our people development process. Vestas' Turbines R&D is the world´s biggest research and development department in the wind industry, and we use TelePresence for activities like product development, quality assurance and follow up, thus supporting a faster product to market strategy and a higher quality product.  We also use telepresence largely in our People and Culture area: doing job interviews and early Performance and Development Dialogue – thus saving a lot of cost and time on travelling."

OJ Winge, senior vice president and general manager, Collaboration Endpoints Technology Group, Cisco

"In a world that is increasingly mobile, social, visual and virtual, individuals are dictating how, when and where they communicate and collaborate inside and outside of the workplace. With today's TelePresence and mobility announcements, Cisco is continuing to make "any device to any device" a reality, while helping customers collaborate on their own terms on a range of devices that provide a rich and consistent user experience."

Cisco will showcase these new offerings along with other collaboration innovations during a keynote presentation and demonstration on March 27 at Enterprise Connect in Orlando, and additionally to virtual audiences through the March 2012 Cisco Collaboration Virtual Experience.

Additional Resources:

·         Learn more about these announcements and ask questions to Cisco product experts on the March 2012 Cisco Collaboration Virtual Experience.

·         Find more information about the Cisco TelePresence TX9000 Series.

·         Find more information about the Cisco Jabber portfolio. 

·         Social Media: Cisco Collaboration Community, Cisco Collaboration and Video Blogs, @CiscoCollab and@TelePresence on Twitter, Cisco Collaboration and Cisco TelePresence on Facebook.

Technorati Tags:

Cisco, video, TelePresence, high quality video, collaboration, interoperability, endpoints, post PC era, Jabber, Enterprise Connect, unified conferencing, mobile, iPad, Windows, Android, Cius,

*Enabled in future software release

About Cisco Collaboration

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go tohttp://newsroom.cisco.com.

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Bank of America Delivers New Online and Mobile Enhancements

Bank of America Delivers New Online and Mobile Enhancements That Allow Merrill Edge® Customers to Invest Anywhere, Anytime

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 22, 2012-- Bank of America today announced a number of new online and mobile capabilities for its Merrill Edge® customers. These new capabilities include a Merrill Edge Android application, remote check deposit functionality for iPhones1, bill-pay functionality for iPads and a new Investment Product Education Center within MerrillEdge.com. “The November Merrill Edge Report* indicated that a quarter of mass affluent respondents are avid users of mobile banking, and use it to check account balances, transfer funds and pay bills,” said Alok Prasad, Merrill Edge executive. “Merrill Edge continues to invest in new tools and enhancements to allow our customers to access and manage their Merrill Edge investment accounts anywhere at any time, helping them to stay in control of their finances.” The new Merrill Edge Android application allows its customers a simple and convenient way to view investment balances, place trades, research investments and transfer funds between their linked banking and investment accounts. Bill-pay functionality through Merrill Edge’s upgraded iPad application enables eligible customers to schedule, edit or manage online bill payments. In addition, remote check deposit functionality is now available on Merrill Edge’s upgraded iPhone application. This new feature allows Merrill Edge customers to quickly and easily take a picture of a check with their iPhone and have it deposited directly into their qualifying Merrill Edgeinvestment account. Merrill Edge is providing these enhancements while maintaining a high level of security to help protect customers against fraud and identity theft. In addition, the Investment Product Education Center provides Merrill Edge customers with easy access to research stocks, options, ETFs, mutual funds and fixed income products. Customers will have access to investment: news, research, reports, education, articles, analysis and other key functionality. “Our customers want more convenient access to their accounts and the ability to invest through a variety of emerging technologies,” said Paul Vienick, Merrill Edge Self-Directed Investing executive. “As technology evolves, we will continue to offer access to a broad array of mobile and online services with high levels of security.” The addition of these new enhancements expands Merrill Edge’s online and mobile capabilities while continuing to offer customers simple and convenient ways to invest with Merrill Edge. Over the past year, Merrill Edge has expanded its website functionality and educational resources, tools, and investment research to assist customers with making informed investment decisions. Merrill Edge has also previously announced mobile applications for iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry. In addition, Merrill Edge also offers Merrill Edge MarketPro2, a fully customizable trading and streaming market data platform for engaged investors. Merrill Edge Merrill Edge provides mass affluent customers access to professional investment guidance. Customers who open an investment account with the Merrill Edge Advisory Center will have access to Merrill Edge Financial Solutions Advisors™ on the phone or in-person at select banking centers. Customers who prefer to invest on their own can open a Merrill Edge self-directed account where they will have access to an online investing platform, with robust tools and resources to help them make informed investment decisions. *Ketchum Global Research Network and Braun Research conducted the Bank of America Merrill Edge Report survey by phone between July 20 and August 4, 2011 on behalf of Bank of America. To learn more about the Merrill Edge Report methodology, go to:http://mediaroom.bankofamerica.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=234503&p=mediaMention&id=410960. 1 Must be a deposit into a Merrill Edge investment account using an iPhone or iPod touch with a camera that runs iOS 4.0 or later. 2 Merrill Edge MarketPro™ is available to clients who maintain a Merrill Edge self-directed relationship. To qualify, you must maintain total combined balances of $50,000 or more in your Merrill Lynch investment accounts and Bank of America, N.A. deposit accounts or make at least 15 self-directed trades per quarter. Not available for investment professionals and business accounts. Relationship requirements and pricing are subject to change. See merrilledge.com for details. To qualify for Level II quotes, you must maintain total combined balances of $1 million or more in your Merrill Lynch investment accounts and Bank of America, N.A. deposit accounts or make at least 30 self-directed trades per quarter.

Merril Lynch Wealth Management Announces New Mobile Features for Clients

Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Announces New Mobile Features for Clients

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 22, 2012-- Merrill Lynch Wealth Management today announced a number of new online and mobile features for clients making it more convenient to access account information, deposit checks, and pay bills. These new capabilities include an Android1 application, remote check deposit functionality for iPhones2, and bill pay functionality for iPads. Clients currently enjoy access to applications on iPhones, iPads, and BlackBerry devices. The Android app enables clients to securely view their accounts, follow the markets, retrieve real-time quotes, transfer money, and much more. With the MyMerrill for iPhone app, clients can now deposit checks remotely into eligible Merrill Lynch investment accounts. Clients simply sign into the MyMerrill for iPhone app, access check deposits, capture an image of the front and back of the check, and submit the checks for processing. Bill pay from Merrill Lynch enables clients with eligible investment accounts a simpler, more efficient way to pay their bills using their iPad. Once enrolled in the bill pay service on MyMerrill.com, clients can pay their bills and view all payments on a consolidated calendar view within the MyMerrill for iPad app. “The convenience and speed of mobile access is becoming more important over time - especially for clients who have multiple account types with our Financial Advisors. The ability to access accounts, transfer money, pay bills, and even browse research anywhere and at any time is another tool we can give clients to simplify their financial lives,” said Paul Fox, head of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Online Platforms. “Our Financial Advisors have the same capabilities, enhancing collaboration and partnership with clients.” The MyMerrill app for both iPhone and iPad is available via the iTunes App Store athttp://itunes.apple.com. For more information on our online and mobile offerings, go to www.MyMerrill.com. For more information on Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, go to www.ml.com. 1 Device must have Android OS 2.2 or higher 2 Must be an iPhone or iPod Touch with OS 4.0 or higher Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management is a leading provider of comprehensive wealth management and investment services for individuals and businesses globally. With more than 17,300 Financial Advisors and more than $1.5 trillion in client balances as of December 31, 2011, it is among the largest businesses of its kind in the world. More than two-thirds of Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management relationships are with clients who have a net worth of $1 million or more. Within Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management, the Private Banking & Investment Groupprovides tailored solutions to ultra affluent clients, offering both the intimacy of a boutique and the resources of a premier global financial services company. These clients are served by more than 160 Private Wealth Advisor teams, along with experts in areas such as investment management, concentrated stock management and intergenerational wealth transfer strategies. Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management is part of Bank of America Corporation. Source: Bank of America. Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management (MLGWM) represents multiple business areas within Bank of America’s wealth and investment management division including Merrill Lynch Wealth Management (North America and International), Merrill Lynch Trust Company, and Private Banking & Investment Group. As of December 31, 2011, MLGWM entities had approximately $1.5 trillion in client balances. Client Balances consists of the following assets of clients held in their MLGWM accounts: assets under management (AUM) of MLGWM entities, client brokerage assets, assets in custody of MLGWM entities, loan balances and deposits of MLGWM clients held at Bank of America, N.A. and affiliated banks.

Apple’s Emerging Market Push

The new iPad is set to launch in 25 more markets.  Given Apple’s emerging market push, it’s an event that’s as big as last week’s U.S. retail rush, reports CNBC’s Jon Fortt.  To view the video, click the link below:

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000079714

iPad: Consumer Trap or Telecom Opportunity?

Some iPad users are finding out that their monthly data plans are being used up faster.  CNBC discussion with Dennis Berman, Wall Street Journal.  To view the video, click the link below:

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000079859

Fans, entrepreneurs among first buyers of new iPad - KansasCity.com

MADISON, Wis. -- Apple's latest iPad drew the customary lines of die-hard fans looking to be first and entrepreneurs looking to make a quick profit.

Many buyers lined up for hours, and in some cases overnight, as the tablet computer went on sale in the U.S. and nine other countries. They did so even though Apple started accepting online orders a week ago.
The new model comes with a faster processor, a much sharper screen and an improved camera, though the changes aren't as big as the upgrade from the original model to the iPad 2.

As with the previous models, prices start at $499 in the U.S.

For more, click the link below:


Fans, entrepreneurs among first buyers of new iPad - KansasCity.com

The New iPad Is Much the Same

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Thursday, March 15, 2012

The New iPad Is Much the Same, Only Better

By DAVID POGUE

On Friday, the new iPad goes on sale. Be sure to ask for it by name: the iPad.

Because if you ask for the iPad 3, the Apple representatives will look at you funny. Last year’s model was called the iPad 2, but this third-generation model is just called the iPad. (Why not continue the numbering pattern? “That would have been too predictable,” says Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president for marketing.)

Really, the new iPad should have been called the iPad 2S. In the past, Apple added the letter S to iPhone models that weren’t exactly new but had been tastefully enhanced (iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4S). That’s exactly what’s going on with the new iPad. Its technical improvements keep it at the forefront of desirability — just ahead of the snapping jaws of its Android competition — but don’t take it in any new directions.

The biggest new feature is what Apple calls the Retina display: like the one on the iPhone 4S, it’s a very, very sharp screen. It’s four times as sharp as the iPad 2 — in fact, it’s the sharpest ever on a mobile device. This screen has 3.1 million pixels, which is 1 million pixels more than on a high-definition TV set. (At least Apple says that that’s how many pixels it has; I quit counting after three days.)

In principle, that avalanche of pixels (and their increased color saturation) means that photos, videos, maps and text should look jaw-droppingly good — and, in apps that have been rewritten for the new screen, they do. Apple’s own apps, like Photos, Maps and iBooks, are just incredibly sharp and clear.

So are Apple’s inexpensive, newly enhanced iPad apps — iMovie, GarageBand, the Numbers spreadsheet and the Pages word processor. And as touch-screen apps go, the new iPhoto for iOS is a masterpiece.

News Release from Apple

New iPad Arrives in the US & Nine Additional Countries on Friday

CUPERTINO, California―March 14, 2012―Apple® today announced the new iPad®, the third generation of its category defining mobile device, will arrive at Apple’s retail stores and the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com) on Friday, March 16 at 8:00 a.m. local time in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and the UK; along with Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

The new iPad features a stunning new Retina™ display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight® camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video and still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G supports ultrafast 4G LTE networks in the US and Canada, and fast 3G networks around the world including those based on HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA.** Additionally, iPad 2 is available at a more affordable price starting at just $399.

Every customer who buys a new iPad at an Apple retail store will be offered free Personal Setup service, helping them customize their iPad by setting up email, loading new apps from the App Store™ and more, so they’ll be up and running with their new iPad before they leave the store. Personal Pickup, available at Apple retail stores in the US and a feature of the free Apple Store® app, lets iPad customers shop and buy from anywhere they are, then pick up their purchase at any Apple retail store. In the US the new iPad will also be available at Best Buy, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, Target and Walmart.

Pricing & Availability
The new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in black or white starting on Friday, March 16 for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, and $699 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G for ultrafast 4G LTE networks in the US and Canada and fast 3G networks around the world including those based on HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA, will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, and select Apple Authorized Resellers. Additionally, the incredible iPad 2 is now offered at a more affordable price of $399 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and just $529 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model. iOS 5.1 and iTunes® 10.6 are currently available as free software updates. iPhoto®, iMovie® 1.3 and GarageBand® 1.2 are now available for $4.99 (US) each from the App Store (www.itunes.com/appstore). Keynote® 1.6, Pages® 1.6 and Numbers® 1.6 are available for $9.99 (US) each from the App Store. Updates are available for free to existing customers.

Starting March 23 the new iPad will be available in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. 

*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

**4G LTE is supported only on AT&T and Verizon networks in the US and on Bell, Rogers and Telus networks in Canada. Data plans sold separately.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.