Apple has approved the first two iPhone apps dedicated to the careers of popular (or, ahem, so we’re told) porn stars.Developed by GrindHouse Mobile and the stars, the two apps mark the first time that Apple has allowed the porn industry into the store in such an obvious way.(Credit: GrindHouse Mobile)While these apps may be more in-your-face than some of the apps showing bikini-clad women that are already on the App Store, the content of these apps is relatively tame. They appear to show no more than suggestive photos–the same as the apps that preceded them.In other words, there is…
Business
Apple OKs first porn star apps for the iPhone
Business
South Korea welcomes the iPhone
South Koreans will soon join the millions of others worldwide as its government on Wednesday approved the sale of the iPhone there.(Credit: Apple)For years, the Korea Communications Commission used technical rules to stifle competition, allowing homegrown companies like Samsung and LG to take over the market, according to a Wall Street Journal report.With an estimated 93 percent of South Korea’s population subscribing to a mobile service, Apple should be able to overcome one of the biggest barriers to smartphone success in South Korea–applications. Apple has been able to entice developers worldwide to build apps for the iPhone, with 75,000 apps…
Business
AT&T gives time frame for Friday’s iPhone MMS launch
t’s already known that AT&T is activating MMS for the iPhone on Friday, but the company has now narrowed the time frame to within a few hours.(Credit: Apple)As reported by AppleInsider, AT&T’s official Facebook page said the service will be activated late morning Pacific time Friday. That’s not exactly definitive, but at least no one will need to sit around all morning wondering if it’s on yet.The iPhone’s multimedia messaging service will allow the transmission of photos, contacts, audio files, and locations with the Messages app, according to Apple.In order to get the service, you will need to download a…
Hack
Universal credit card in the palm of your hand
Do you remember the magnetic card spoofer in Terminator 2? It was a bit farfetched because apparently the device could be swiped through a reader and magically come up with working account numbers and pin numbers. We’re getting close to that kind of magic with [Jaroslaw's] card spoofer that is button-programmable.
Building off of a project that allows spoofing via an iPod and electromagnet, [Jaroslaw] wanted something that doesn’t require a computer to put together the card code. He accomplished this by interfacing a 20-button keyboard and a character LCD with an AVR ATmega168 microcontroller. Card codes can be…
Business
Lower interest on loans indicates market may be recovering
The loans market may be recovering, it has been claimed, after a major loan provider reduced the interest rates it charges on personal loans. Nationwide is now offering personal loans at 7.7% APR, leading Tim Moss, head of loans at moneysupermarket.com, to say: “Loan rates have been going up since the start of the credit crunch – in April 2008 best buy loans were around 7.34 per cent, but have now risen to closer to 9 per cent.” He went on to say that Nationwide`s cut in interest rates is the first suggestion that the worst in the loan market…
Business
Long Term Loans, Financing Your Needs and Luxuries
You open up your PIGGY BANK one fine morning hoping to buy all the glitters which u have been looking at and many things of great need but you figure out that there is not enough saving in your contingency fund. Still you need not to worry as this situation can be elbowed out if you are leading a life with some ASSETS backed. These assets help you to obtain sensible and affordable loan which you can use to fulfill your needs in easy and effective manner. To accomplish this some valuable collateral has to be placed against the desired…
Finance
Bankruptcy: Tips To Avoid It
Although it may seem like an easy solution to major financial difficulties, it is best to avoid bankruptcy at all cost. There are many reasons for avoiding bankruptcy and many tips for helping those in financial difficulty avoid resorting to bankruptcy. Before beginning to consider bankruptcy, it is best to weigh the negative consequences.
Although it may seem like an easy solution to major financial difficulties, it is best to avoid bankruptcy at all cost. There are many reasons for avoiding bankruptcy and many tips for helping those in financial difficulty avoid resorting to bankruptcy. Before beginning to consider bankruptcy,…
Business
Bank credit to private sector seen declining 3% in 2009 – Mexico
Credit granted by commercial banks to the private sector in Mexico is expected to decline by 3% in real terms this year due to the effects of the economic recession on the demand and supply of credit, according to Eduardo González, analyst at financial groupBanamex. The credit contraction has deepened in recent months, with direct performing loans to the private sector decreasing by 4.2% in the year through July, following a 3.7% drop for the 12 months through June, according to the latest data from the central bank. “We are close to seeing the worse in terms of annual credit…
Business
Booming bond markets could benefit Kraft, other M&A
LONDON (Reuters) – Healthy investor appetite for corporate bonds should help Kraft Foods Inc and other companies fund mergers and acquisitions, given bank loans are still scarce after the credit crisis. U.S. food group Kraft is seen as a likely candidate to take the “bridge loan to bond” route to provide money should its proposed takeover of British confectioner Cadbury go through. “Banks will be very happy to offer bridge financing on a 12-month basis but, ultimately, for a deal of this size it would have to be brought into the public bond markets,” said Patrick McCullagh, head of…
Business
China Discusses Taking Stake in AES
The Chinese government’s investment arm is in talks on taking a minority stake in Virginia-based power-plant developer AES Corp., according to people familiar with the matter. The possible purchase is part of a wide-ranging discussion aimed at building an alliance between AES and China Investment Corp., the country’s sovereign wealth fund, with some $300 billion in assets. The discussions could result in CIC taking a significant stake in AES, which has a market capitalization of about $9.5 billion. A joint venture between the two parties also is under discussion, in which CIC would contribute capital to AES’s plans to develop…
Business
India Approves Release of 40 Billion Rupees in Farm Loan Subsidy
NEW DELHI — India’s federal cabinet Thursday approved the release of 40 billion rupees ($826.4 million) to state-run banks as a subsidy to offset revenue losses arising from the grant of cheap short-term farm loans. The funds, already provided for in this fiscal year’s budget, come at a time when loan demand for winter-sown crops usually picks up. “For this year, the government has decided to continue the ongoing interest subvention scheme with the provision of interest subvention at 2% to the banks on their own funds,” Information and Broadcasting Minister, Ambika Soni, said at a news conference. State-run banks…
Business
Obama tries to reinvigorate Wall Street reform
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will try on Monday to revive a stalled push for stricter oversight of Wall Street, using the anniversary of Lehman Brothers’ collapse to argue for sweeping regulatory changes. Obama’s wide-ranging economic address in New York will also discuss plans to unwind the government’s involvement in the financial sector and call upon Wall Street firms to take responsibility and avoid reckless behavior. He is to speak at 12:10 EDT (1610 GMT). Gaps in the regulation of U.S. banks and capital markets have been blamed for the subprime mortgage crisis and global financial chaos triggered…
