Obama: Appeals for common ground, yet jabs GOP

WASHINGTON – Whatever the outcome of Tuesday's election, it's time to put aside partisanship, President Barack Obama is telling Democrats and Republicans.

Yet his appeal for unity includes a jab at GOP leaders in the House and Senate for comments that the president said were troubling.

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio "actually said that 'this is not the time for compromise,'" Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. The president added that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky "said his main goal after this election is simply to win the next one."

AP – President Barack Obama walks to board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland outside Washington

The address was released shortly before Obama left Washington for a day of campaigning in Philadelphia, Bridgeport, Conn., and Chicago. The three states have competitive House and Senate races, as does Ohio, where the president will hold a rally Sunday in Cleveland.

"I know that we're in the final days of a campaign," Obama said in his weekly address. "So it's not surprising that we're seeing this heated rhetoric. That's politics. But when the ballots are cast and the voting is done, we need to put this kind of partisanship aside — win, lose or draw."

Voters angry and anxious about the economy and joblessness are expected to take their frustrations out on Democratic lawmakers Tuesday, possibly putting Republicans back in control of the House and maybe even the Senate.

Boehner's comment that "this is not a time for compromise" came during a recent interview on a conservative radio show. He was trying to rebut a GOP senator's suggestion that repealing the health care law was not in the party's best interest. Republicans have pledged to try to repeal the health care law or undo important parts of it.

In the same interview, Boehner said he'd welcome Obama's involvement in working toward Republican goals.

McConnell expressed his desire to have a Republican in the White House. He said in a published interview that the "single most important thing" Republicans want is to help Obama become a one-term president.

Tuesday's results aside, Obama said both parties should be able to agree on steps to promote economic growth and hiring.

"Whatever the outcome on Tuesday, we need to come together to help put people who are still looking for jobs back to work," he said.

In the weekly Republican address, Boehner said Obama has failed to deliver the change he promised. The man who likely would become House speaker if Republicans win control of the chamber also promoted party pledges to cut spending and keep taxes at current levels.

"This is a new way forward that hasn't been tried in Washington yet," Boehner said. "It's a break from the direction in which President Obama has taken our country. And frankly, it's also a break from the direction in which Republicans were headed when Americans last entrusted us with the reins of government. The American people are in charge, and they deserve nothing less."

iPhone 4 for Verizon is ‘fait accompli,’ Fortune claims

Yet another major publication is coming forward claiming confirmation that the long-rumored Verizon iPhone is real. But don't get your hopes up for an iPhone 4 that's compatible with the carrier's soon-to-be-launched 4G network.

In its lengthy profile of Verizon Communications CEO Ivan Seidenberg, Fortune says it has confirmed that Verizon will get the iPhone in early 2011—indeed, it's a "fait accompli," claims the magazine, although neither Apple nor Verizon will go on the record and say so.

Fortune says that Verizon will get its "own version" of the iPhone 4 (sorry, no surprise iPhone 5 quite yet) and that it'll run on the carrier's existing 3G network—disappointing news for anyone hoping that the new iPhone would support Verizon's budding 4G LTE data network, which is set to go live in a few dozen U.S. markets before the year is out.

Don't expect a dual-mode GSM/CDMA "world phone" either, Fortune adds, although the story suggests that Verizon FiOS subscribers might get their own iPhone app for live TV streaming.

Rumors about an iPhone on Verizon are nothing new, but the flames have been fanned in recent weeks by articles in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

And then there's the fact that Verizon Wireless just began selling the iPad (bundled with the MiFi Wi-Fi hotspot) in its retail stores, a clear sign that relations between Apple and Verizon have been warming up.

Indeed, Verizon has apparently been courting Apple since before the iPhone even launched. Fortune says Verizon's Seidenberg pleaded his case before Steve Jobs as early as the spring of 2007, a few months before the original iPhone went on sale, asking Jobs why Verizon was "in your doghouse" as far as the iPhone was concerned. The answer: because an iPhone compatible with Verizon's CDMA network wouldn't function on worldwide GSM carriers. (AT&T runs a GSM cellular network.)

Well, uh ... isn't that still the case? Yep, it is, but apparently Jobs had second thoughts about Apple's "one phone for the world" strategy after AT&T's network began buckling under the pressure of all those data-hungry iPhones. He told Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam in a follow-up call that Apple had "missed something" in its earlier discussions with the carrier, Fortune reports.

So, are you convinced by the latest reports of a Verizon iPhone, or will you believe it when you see it? And if Verizon does get the iPhone, will you switch to the "can you hear me now" network?

A Walkman Obit: Remembering the portable player

NEW YORK – The Walkman, the Sony cassette device that forever changed music listening before becoming outdated by digital MP3 players and iPods, has died. It was 31 years old.

Sony announced Monday that it has ceased production of the classic, cassette tape Walkman in Japan, effectively sounding the death knell of the once iconic, now obsolete device.

The Walkman is survived by the Discman (still clinging to life) and ironic music listeners who think using a Walkman in this day-and-age is charmingly out-of-touch.

AFP/File – This picture taken in 2009 shows the first model of Japanese electronics maker Sony's stereo cassete 

It will continue to be produced in China and distributed in the U.S.,Europe and some Asian countries. Digital Walkmans are also being made with models that display lyrics and have improved digital noise-canceling technology.

Still, if you're looking to chisel a date in the Walkman's tombstone, then Oct. 25, 2010, is as good as any. For many, that it's taken this long is surprising: "They were still making those?" Perhaps Oct. 23, 2001, the day the iPod was launched, is the better date of expiration.

But none of the success of Apple's portable music players would have ever happened without the cassette Walkman. Some 220 million have been sold since the first model, the TPS-L2, debuted in July 1979. (It retailed for $200.) At the time, transistor radios were portable, but there was nothing widely available like the Walkman.

It was developed under the stewardship of Sony founders Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka. Morita insisted the device not be focused on recording but playback, a relatively odd notion at the time.

Originally called the "Soundabout" in the U.S., the Walkman was an immediate sensation and a revolution in music listening.

Foremost, it was portable. Music no longer needed to be something that one experienced sitting in a room, but could be blasted on the bus, pumped while jogging on a beach or played softly while studying.

By turning the volume up, anyone could be tuned out.

The detached teenager with foam earphones slouched in the back seat or bobbing his head in the elevator became an indelible image of the `80s. (The first Walkman did have an orange "hot line" button to lower the music and increase the microphone so you could hear someone talking to you.)

Music, previously listened to in a room with shag carpeting and a stereo, was cast into the world, made a part of daily life. Pink Floyd could join a walk in the park, Public Enemy could soundtrack a commute.

More than portability, it fostered a personalization to music, a theme the iPod would also highlight in those early dancing silhouette ads. A big reason there's so much nostalgia for the Walkman today is because it eliminated any separation from music. It felt like an appendage, which is perhaps why some (with questionable fashion instincts) clipped theirs to their belt.

The Walkman was also the father of the mixtape, an offspring that nearly trumps the progenitor. For the first time, music was something you could make yours by arranging it and swapping it.

For those young and unfamiliar with this process, making a mixtape typically entailed gathering songs by the Cure and Depeche Mode, labeling the tape with care and awkwardly giving it to a love interest in homeroom.

The Walkman didn't disappear so much as it was improved upon. Sony continues to use it as a brand, but the company long ago ceded hipness and style to Apple. The iPod will likely one day befall a similar fate, and another generation will gasp in joined wistfulness.

When it comes to music and how we hear it, we're all romantics.

Gold prices fluctuate wildly

 Domestic gold prices have fluctuated wildly in recent days and currently stand at VND33.13 million per tael.

In HCM City, SJC gold prices are VND33.03-33.1 million per tael to buy in HCM City while the selling price is VND10,000 higher than in Hanoi.

Compared to October 13, SJC gold prices have increased by VND530,000 per tael.  

Meanwhile, on the world market, gold prices were listed at US$1,377.3 per ounce. In the New York market, the gold price for December delivery shows an increase US$23.80 per ounce or 1.8 percent to settle at US$1,370.50 per ounce while the gold price for October delivery has already climbed to US$1,369.50 per ounce.

The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Trust said that its holdings remain at 1,287.33 tonnes.

Verizon iPhone Rumor Won't Die

Gasp, another Verizon iPhone rumor surfaced this week.

Two hiring firms are posting jobs for thousands of customer service reps for a "major wireless cell phone service retailer," across the United States, according to CNET and others.

Could the increase in staffing be in preparation for a January release of the Verizon iPhone? Maybe.

A few additional "help wanted" ads give a clue.

Apple Insider points out a few new positions will offer technical support for "personal computers and portable devices like MP3 players and smartphones."

The iPhone certainly fits the bill.

In addition, the hiring companies have ties to Verizon and one works with Apple.

A source told the Augusta Chronicle that a call center in Georgia will double its number of employees by the end of November. The source also said that Teleperformace has ties "all major cell phone providers," but wouldn't reveal which carrier the new hires will serve.

The Verizon iPhone rumor came back with a vengeance earlier this month when "people familiar with the matter" told the Wall Street Journal that Apple plans to start mass producing a special iPhone for Verizon by the end of 2010. The device would reportedly be available in the first quarter of 2011.

If a special iPhone lands on Verizon's shelves, it stands to reason the carrier would need support staff to help anxious customers with billing questions and so forth, but it might be a bit of a stretch to say this is a smoking gun.

Regardless, it's nice to see that thousands of people can get customer support jobs that pay $10 an hour in this bum economy.

How's that for a stimulus package, United States? Maybe that's why President Obama met with Steve Jobsthis week.

iPhone 4 sells out in second launch

VietNamNet Bridge – VinaPhone and Viettel’s second round of Apple iPhone 4 imports sold out quickly around the country, barely scratching the surface of demand for the trendy cell phone.

The two providers launched the sales quietly to prevent the chaos that marred the first launch. They delivered phones by contacting directly with customers who had ordered via websites.

Nguyen Thu Hong, a representative of VinaPhone, said the telecom provider offered only 120 phones in HCMC and 130 in Hanoi over the weekend. VinaPhone invited customers to come and pick up their new phones at its stores.

Viettel, meanwhile, distributed 250 phones to selected stores and to the customers who made orders. “Some provinces received only one or two units each,” a Viettel representative told theDaily.

The two enterprises have yet to announce timing for the next shipment and said Apple wasn’t providing them with many so they would again only be accepting orders online for the next release.

The representative said Vietnam is still a potential market for the smart phone and a large volume of customers will order for the next launch. “In my opinion, iPhone 4 distributors initially can sell 7,000 to 8,000 units each month and 5,000 to 6,000 phones later,” the Viettel staff said.

The telecom providers launched the first iPhone 4 imports in Vietnam on September 30 with 1,000 units sold out the same morning. Many people joined long queues in front of stores at 5:00 a.m. but were still too late to buy the popular gadget.

VietNamNet/SGT

Amazon 3Q profit jumps 16 percent, but costs rise

SAN FRANCISCO – Amazon.com Inc. saw earnings grow in the third quarter as shoppers bought more goods and services, yet costs also rose because the company is having to build new centers to fulfill those orders. Shares fell in extended trading.

For the July-September quarter, Amazon earned $231 million, or 51 cents per share — 3 cents more than what analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected, on average. That compares with a profit of $199 million, or 45 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue rose 39 percent to $7.56 billion, higher than the $7.36 billion analysts expected. It was $5.45 billion a year ago, a quarter that doesn't reflect the November purchase of shoes and apparel retailer Zappos.

Amazon reported Thursday that revenue from its largest sales category, electronics and other general merchandise, jumped 68 percent to $3.97 billion. Revenue from books, CDs, DVDs and other media grew 14 percent to $3.35 billion.

AP – In this Oct. 18, 2010 photo, an Amazon.com package awaits delivery from UPS in Palo Alto, Calif. Amazon.com

The Seattle-based company, which has never given precise details about sales of its Kindle electronic reader, said that a larger number of its latest Kindle device was ordered in the first 12 weeks it was available than in the same amount of time after any other Kindle launch. The newest Kindle, which was priced more cheaply at $139 and uses Wi-Fi to wirelessly download content from Amazon's Kindle Store, was released during the quarter.

Amazon said that its combined fulfillment, technology and content and marketing costs rose 47 percent to $1.36 billion. Its fulfillment costs climbed 46 percent to $680 million.

In a conference call with reporters, Chief Financial Officer Tom Szkutak said costs rose because of 13 centers Amazon has opened or will open this year to fill customer orders, both for its own retail business and for its business of filling orders for other sellers.

The company's marketing spending also jumped, climbing 62 percent to $241 million. Amazon, which generally focuses on advertising online, has been branching out by running commercials for the Kindle.

Amazon has cemented its position as the e-commerce leader by offering lower prices than other retailers both on and off the Web, and it clearly isn't planning to change this to make up for higher expenses.

"The way we think about pricing is we want to make sure we have great prices on a year-round basis, in all the categories and all the geographies we offer, and that's something we work hard to do," Szkutak said.

For this quarter, Amazon predicted revenue will total $12 billion to $13.3 billion - a range that would indicate 26 percent to 40 percent growth over last year's fourth quarter.

Analysts were looking for $12.3 billion in revenue.

But Amazon also indicated that its operating income could fall as much as 24 percent to $360 million or rise as much as 18 percent to $560 million in the quarter, which means expenses are still likely to rise.

Larry Witt, a Morningstar Inc. analyst, said the level of expenses for both quarters puts a damper on things.

"They're still growing fast, but people are probably getting anxious to see operating leverage," he said.

Amazon's stock fell $6.47, or 3.9 percent, to $158.50 in after-hours trading after the release of results. The shares had finished regular trading up $6.30, or 4 percent, at $164.97.

Sharp quake rattles southern NZ city

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – An earthquake rattled the southern New Zealand city of Christchurch on Tuesday, cutting power and phone service and sending some residents running into the streets just weeks after a more powerful quake caused extensive damage.

New Zealand's geological agency GNS Science said Tuesday's magnitude 5.0 quake was centered six miles (10 kilometers) southwest of the city and just five miles (nine kilometers) below the surface.

AP – A young boy takes advantage of warped road to skateboard on in Paiapoi, 20km south of Christchurch

Buildings shook and objects tumbled from shelves when the quake hit about 11:30 a.m. (22:30 GMT Monday), emergency services said.

Electricity and phone service were cut to several parts of the city, and a number of buildings in the city center were evacuated following the shake, civil defense officials said.

The temblor was one of hundreds of aftershocks that have hit the city since a magnitude-7 quake on Sept. 4 that wrecked thousands of homes, tore up farmland but did not kill anyone.

St John Ambulance spokesman Chris Haines said there were no reports of any quake-related injuries, but the service received several panic calls following the aftershock.

Riccarton Browsers Garden Cafe owner Flick Holmes said the shallow earthquake was "very scary" and seemed to last about 20 seconds.

"It definitely was a very big one. Everything rocked. Just when you think you're getting used to it, (another) goes," she said.

Police said a suburban shopping mall was evacuated as a precaution after reports of some roofing collapsing.

"This was very loud, very strong shaking. All our china is smashed in our kiosk," said Fiona Fidow at the Cupcake Collection shop in Westfield Mall in suburban Riccarton.

"The mall has been evacuated. Quite a few people are crying and hysterical. There are a lot of frightened people," she told the "Stuff" news web site.

Christchurch resident Shirin Namjou said she was driving on a suburban street when the aftershock hit.

"My car was being shaken around and the traffic lights were moving side to side. It was one of the strongest ones we have felt," she said.

About 300 workers were evacuated from a construction site at Christchurch International Airport, while the airport itself was closed briefly so engineers could check its runways for cracks.

One Christchurch resident reported some fresh cracks had appeared in his house, while others reported crockery being broken and books tumbling from shelves.

GNS Science said four other, smaller aftershocks also hit the region Tuesday morning.

Prime Minister John Key told reporters on Monday that 50,000 homes in the city needed major repairs, with some 1,200 houses likely to be demolished and rebuilt.

These homes were located where quake damage to the land meant major remedial work was needed. Repairing land torn open by the magnitude-7 quake would take two years to complete, he said.

A "very small number," of perhaps 20 homes were not be able to be rebuilt on their original sites, Key added.

Officials earlier estimated the full bill for Christchurch's quake damage could reach 4 billion New Zealand dollars ($2.9 billion).