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Finally, it has happened. The Chinese government has given permission for China’s major cell phone carriers to upgrade to third-generation (3G) technology – nearly ten years after the rest of the developed world (the first 3G networks, both commercial and non-commercial, came from Japan in 2001). Without 3G technology cell phone users cannot get high-speed Internet access, surf the web, and access streaming videos and other multimedia applications. The upgrade also means telecommunications companies will charge more, depending on downloads.

The three big carriers in China are China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile and they all stand to win from the government’s decision. China Mobile currently has around three-quarters of all subscribers, but a recent trial of 3G by that company showed up some areas urgently needing attention – quality of reception being one.

It’s not quite so clear which cell phone manufacturers are going to be in to win. China has around 600 million cell phone ...

Are you looking for a new web browser? One with some extra features? If you are currently using one of the two major browsers – Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox – or even a lesser known one, like Safari or Opera, you may want to have a look at “Tablane” a browser fresh out of Ireland, which offers just that much more and is particularly great for laptops with wide screens.

First up, and possibly most important, is its ability to let you see two or more web pages at once, on the same screen. Sure, other browsers let you toggle from tab to tab at the top of the browser, and you can arrange your screen to show what you want, but Tablane lets you put them up there immediately, with no fuss. Tablane uses what it calls “lanes” to provide this feature (hence its own name). Every tab gets its own lane, ...

European carmakers have only a small fraction of the auto market in the United States – somewhere between five and 10 per cent. But one of them, BMW, is reported to be considering plans that are an interesting pointer to possible change in several parameters governing how Americans relate to motor transport.

As some of the biggest US auto firms join the queue for a taxpayer-funded bailout, even as the big three – Ford, Chrysler and General Motors – continue to hold near 50 per cent of the market (though dipping under that at the start of 2009), some of their customers are starting to react to painful, as well as inconvenient, truths. Bigger cars are more expensive to buy; bigger cars are more expensive to run. Large cars and large SUVs accounted respectively for 9.3 per cent and 13 per cent of the light vehicle market in the United States in 1997, according to data at ...

Since last year’s subprime mortgage crisis, which many see as the beginning of the American, and global, credit crisis, the word “foreclosure” has been heard with increasing frequency. Simply put, it means there is insufficient money to repay interest on a mortgage, so the bank steps in to sell the property – usually by auction.

Thus the notion of auctioning property has become associated with “foreclosure” in peoples’ minds, and a thing to be feared.

However, many are coming to realize that selling by auction is an effective method to use when they need a property to change hands quickly and efficiently – and quite unrelated to any foreclosure. As one senior Omaha realtor says: “There has been a myth in the past that auctions are for distressed homes or distressed people. They’re not. They are just a different way to market a house.”

A recent study by a Californian consulting firm has shown that combining a stimulus for ...

So you have decided that you are tired of routine and the humdrum commute to work every day. You are an independent person who does not need to work for a boss. Do you have skills you want to share, which are not being rewarded in your current place of work? Or are you facing the threat of redundancy?

There are many reasons people choose to become their own boss. Some are matters of personal preference, others are from necessity. However, the small business environment is extremely competitive – it has been said that it is one of the hardest ways possible to earn a living. So before you write that letter of resignation, or start applying to the bank for a loan, take a clear-eyed look at the pros – and cons – of owning and running a small business. Let’s look at the advantages first.

A big advantage is independence. You know that, left to yourself, ...

With the world economy in meltdown, each person is asking one question: “How is this going to affect me?” (Or affect us, if you have a family to feed.) Redundancies are already a global fact of life.

In December 2008, the US unemployment rate rose to 7.2 per cent, with more than 11 million people unemployed. In the United Kingdom, redundancies are hitting “white collar” workers – those in consultancies and management. Between June and November 2008, more than 22,000 people working in these areas lost their job. There have also been significant cutbacks in the leisure industries – tourism, hospitality, amusement and sports – largely because of the drop in the amount of discretionary spending available in most homes.

Who will survive?
During an economic downturn, businesses are at risk. Turnover is less and cashflow is tighter. Profitability is reduced, because business activity slows and there is more competition between firms for the small amount of business available.
If ...