Delighted to report that Artesian have once again been selected as the Microsoft Bizspark start-up of the day, for the second time this year. Following on from the pitching victory at the Microsoft European summit and the 'cool vendor' award handed down from Gartner it all adds up to a great year thus far (insert excitable dance on table here).
You can see the interview with CEO Andrew Yates and some more footage from the Paris event earlier this year over on the Microsoft bizspark homepage.
Also, don't forget to take the media monitoring quiz over on the right hand side of this blog. Well worth a couple of minutes and will be covering solutions to most individual questions at a later date.
What's known as a landslide. You're about to see another one
Prepare yourself for an alarming fact...Or at least a mildly interesting one you probably already knew. 86% of enterprise users are not satisfied with their search experience, and that's according to Google! 86%! Believe it or not, 86% aren't happy trawling through endless data, killing hours and hours of time which could be spent doing something much more productive...Actually, when you put it that way, how are 14% happy?!
Knowledge workers, still in the opinion of Google here, waste an average 2 hours a day trying to find the info they need. That's 25% of an average working day and 10 hours a working week. Quite simply, far too much time.
This trend can not continue. Data will only continue to grow and eventually it'll be impossible to track manually (if it isn't already, which arguably, it probably is). Improving search is not the answer, improving software is. Making it easier for consumers to sift through the data is not the answer, delivering relevant insight directly to them is. Manual search is not the answer, automated search is.
The Times Online have taken the plunge then, and announced they are to charge for online content come June. It must be said, the timing of the announcement doesn't seem ideal, just two days after Alistair Darling shared the fact that everything else was going to cost tons more as well (if you're a cider drinking Times reader you must be considering a long drive off a short pier right now) but there we go, what's said is said.
Will it work? Well, the problem with jumping first is that everyone can hang back and see how you get on, meaning that people can still get a free service from other providers. For a real chance of success, the newspapers could have all held hands and leapt together but as it is, the onlookers will be preparing their plan B's and C's whilst the Times takes all the impact.
The emphasis is very much on them now. Of course, £2 a week doesn't seem much to access content but it's still more expensive than £0 a week. They will have to ensure that what they're offering is superior to those around them exploiting every technology available to them including driving mobile use using all the tools that are rapidly flooding the industry. Everybody's watching, and unfortunately for the Times, those jumping later are likely to learn lessons from this ground breaking decision.
One of the biggest concerns people have about using the semantic web (or to put it in Layman's terms, automated computer software) as a sales intelligence tool is the lack of human intervention they feel is involved. But rest assured, at least at Artesian anyway, we don't win a contract then leave the computer running, switch the office lights off and head to the nearest small Island for cocktails and pool parties.
The software we use is a tool yes, a very efficient one at that, but the idea isn't to make it easy for us, it's to make it easy for the customer. We're very aware that we still need to keep one step ahead and we're also very aware that customers will want to tweak results and search different areas of interest from time to time. Using machines to do the dirty work doesn't mean these changes and improvements can't be implemented.
In fact, what it means is, if you do want to track something different, rather than manually searching 1,000 sources to see if you can find anything interesting on the subject, the software will do it for you. There is a misconception that once the solution is integrated there is no turning back and no moving forward. Take it from a man who spends all day, everyday constantly refining, researching and improving search techniques, there really is.
If you're sat in the Facebook boardroom today looking on at this graph my guess is you're also smoking a cigar with your feet on the desk smiling very contently. Let's bear in mind here, that the graph above charts the progress within ONE year.
Facebook is now the most visited website in the US so it's no wonder people are questioning it's desires to enter the search market. Facebook have been fairly coy on their objectives in this field, largely using the social networking tag as a shield to cover up from competitors glaring eyes.
But with figures like the ones above, you'd have to be crazy to not think about dominating more than one market. If Bing thought catching up with Google was going to be tough, they may have a threat coming up sharply on the inside rail that threatens to be even more of a challenge.
On my never ending travels through blog destinations I saw an article today highlighting no fewer than 14 ways to help use Google effectively. Just to repeat that 14 ways to help. If you're in sales, you will be all too aware of the value in researching but there comes a stage when you stop being a salesperson and enter the world of professional research.
The problem is, there is so much that you need to know and the even bigger problem is that what you need to know keeps on bloody changing! To sit down at your desk on a sunny morning, equipped with your 14 useful hints for using Google, will probably see you reappear from your screen as darkness sets in and wonder to yourself 'where did everybody go?'
It is simply not plausible to track what you want to track using a search engine. Even if you get the results you're looking for the process takes too long for a sales timetable to consider. So whilst I take nothing away from the 14 tips to aid your Google hunt, my tip would be, exploit the technology available, cut the manual strain and focus on what really matters, converting leads. Recent Articles Be ready to pounce on an opportunity
Google's threat to pull out of China after reports of cyber attacks aimed at the accounts of Chinese human rights activists is commendable make no mistake about that, but it is perhaps not as risky for business as some are suggesting. With Chinese market leader Baidu claiming 60% of the power it would perhaps be a blessing in disguise for Google to get out of the losing battle (Baidu is heavily connected with the Chinese government so chances of defeating it appear slim).
What the whole thing does again raise though is the issue of censorship and why search engines are fast becoming a thing of the past. People do not want 'higher powers' deciding what they can and can't view and Google's deal in 2006 to agree to the Chinese government strict rules has always been uncomfortable. But even Google themselves are accused of censoring their own search results.
The web is a free source and shouldn't be controlled by dictators. This is why, to me the semantic web is so appealing. Software doesn't censor, it simply finds what you're looking for, as requested, with no ulterior motive. That is the future, and I'm sure Google know it.
UK Coal runs Kellingley and Thoresby in Yorkshire, Welbeck in Nottinghamshire, and Daw Mill in Warwickshire. (full story)
Recession may be over, says Bank of England chief Mervyn King - The recession could be over, according to Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England.
There are signs that economic growth "has resumed" between July and September, Mr King told the influential House of Commons Treasury Select Committee. (full story)
Next lifts forecasts a second time on sales growth - Next, the high street fashion chain, today raised its full-year profit forecast for a second time after reporting better than expected interim growth.
Profits for the six months to July 31 rose by 7 per cent to £185.5 million and total sales rose £1.5 billion, up 0.7 per cent. Shares in Next rose 3.2 per cent, or 55p, to £17.54. (full story)
Climate Exchange swings to profit - Carbon emissions exchange operator Climate Exchange (CLIE.L) swung to a first-half profit as trading volumes almost doubled, but said it expected growth rates to moderate in the second half.
"Whilst we are delighted with the growth achieved in the first half of 2009, political and regulatory uncertainty may moderate our rates of growth during the second half of the financial year and we have observed lower volumes in August," the company said on Wednesday. (full story)
Ministers fear recovery will fail to reduce unemployment - Ministers are urgently drawing up measures to try to prevent a "job-lite recovery" in which unemployment continues to rise even when the economy starts to grow again.
Official figures due out today are expected to show that unemployment has risen to about 2.5 million. There are growing fears that it will remain above two million by the end of 2010. (full story)
Store Space Reshuffle Hits Debenhams Sales - Department store group Debenhams has reported a 3.8% drop in like-for-like sales in the last six months compared to the same period last year.
The group blamed the decline, which saw sales for the full year slip 3.6%, on disruption caused by a major store revamp. (full story)
Bank crisis lessons 'not learned' - A year after Lehman Brothers collapsed, a think-tank has warned the lessons of the crisis have not been learned.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says the rapid return to the City's bonus culture shows real reform has been "very limited". (full story)
Drugs market uncertainty costs 5,500 Eli Lilly jobs - President Obama’s controversial healthcare reforms have made a swift impact on Eli Lilly, the pharmaceuticals group, which believes that the programme could depress the price of drugs. Faced also with the loss of key patents, the company said yesterday that it was to cut 5,500 jobs, or 13.6 per cent of its global workforce.
Eli Lilly, which employs 40,500 staff worldwide, of which 1,600 are based in Britain, plans to cut $1 billion (£600 million) from its annual costs in the face of what it describes as the “most challenging period” in its history. (full story)
MG Rover £100,000 'bribe' under investigation - A quango that was invoiced for a £100,000 alleged "bribe" relating to the redevelopment of MG Rover's Longbridge site has launched an investigation into the payment.
Taxpayer-funded Advantage West Midlands (AWM), a Regional Development Agency, was invoiced for the money by St Modwen Properties, the listed company, when it bought the site for redevelopment from a third company. (full story)
Warning over holiday sick leave ruling - A landmark legal ruling allowing workers to claim back holiday time lost to illness will expose employers to exploitation, it was warned today.
The CBI said the European Court judgment, in a case involving a Spanish council worker, was "open to abuse". (full story)
In a speech to mark one year since the collapse of Lehman Brothers bank, he will also mount a vigorous defence of his administration's economic policies. (full story)
ITV product placement 'is worth millions' - Troubled ITV stands to reap tens of millions of pounds in new revenue under Government plans to allow US-style product placement on television.
In a watershed week for the struggling broadcaster, the Competition Commission is also poised to publish its provisional findings into the contract rights renewal (CRR) system that dictates how much the company can charge advertisers, while Tony Ball , the former chief executive of BSkyB, is likely to be confirmed as ITV chief. (full story)
Cadbury seeks to bolster investors against Kraft - Cadbury will this week bolster its defences against a £10.2 billion takeover offer from America's Kraft Foods as management prepare to urge shareholders on Wednesday to reject the deal.
In a robust letter published in full today, Roger Carr, chairman of the Dairy Milk-maker, tells Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and chief executive of Kraft, the proposal is “unappealing” and a threat to Cadbury's plan of becoming the world's preeminent pure play confectionery and chewing gum company. (full story)
Union Boss: Hands Off Public Sector Jobs - A union leader is expected to tell colleagues that a true economic recovery will only be evident when public services are safe from cuts.
A key battleground has opened up ahead of the next General Election - and all sides seem to agree it is public spending that will decide the winner. (full story) London retail sales tumble to cast doubt on the sector's recovery curve - London's retailers will today create shockwaves by posting their worst monthly sales for four years, ahead of results this week from some of the UK's biggest store groups that will provide a health check for the high street leading up to the critical Christmas trading period.
The department stores Debenhams and John Lewis, the fashion retailers Next and French Connection, the DIY group Kingfisher, and the furnishings chain Dunelm will all update the market this week. Further August sales data will be unveiled by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday. (full story)
What a busy week it's been for the online world, I think all I can do is provide a catch up service, summing up some of the highlights, because to comment on just one thing would seem extremely blinkered, so:
In response to Rupert Murdock's plan to charge for online news content Google has admitted it is working on technology to help newspapers make money from their website readers. Twitter however have gone against the tide completely and decided their going to rely on advertising revenue 'leaving the door open' to advertisers to access the 45 million tweeters out there.
Facebook have decided to expand further by coming up with 'Facebook Lite' a new site that cuts down on unnecessary applications to provide quicker speed for those with slow or poor Internet connections. Although currently only available in the US and India if it cuts out things like the 'what kind of vegetable are you?' application I personally can't wait to ditch the old and bring in the new.
The PM has apologised to WWII code breaker Alan Turning over the terrible treatment he received from the British government, a statement long overdue and Steve Jobs is back to a standing ovation after his recent liver transplant.
On the lighter side of things Google Maps have announced they are launching the World's 'biggest' game of online Monopoly which will see gamers being able to purchase real streets (does that mean you really have to go to jail too?) and apparently in South Africa a carrier pigeon has beaten the countries ADSL service in the delivery of data. 'Winston the pigeon' took just two hours to fly a memory stick 60 miles, in the time the ADSL had sent 4% of the data.
Right, time for a lie down I think, must fly (that's for you Winston)
Wetherspoon sales stabilise amid profit fall - JD Wetherspoon, the pub owner, reported a 17 per cent fall in full-year profits after the company was forced to write-down the value of pubs that traded badly in the depths of the recession.
Pre-tax income totalled £45 million in the year to July 26, down from £54.2 million, following exceptional charges of £21.1 million. Those costs included £6.5 million of pub write-offs, and a further £9.4 million knocked off the company's fixed assets. (full story)
Rover bosses took £42m from firm - A report into the collapse of carmaker MG Rover will say that five executives took £42m in pay and pensions from the troubled firm, the BBC has learned.
Independent inspectors said the men behind the takeover and the executive they appointed enriched themselves as Rover headed for insolvency. (full story)
Twitter expands rules to allow advertising - Twitter, the fast-growing microblogging site now seeking ways to make money, expanded its terms for users on Thursday to allow advertisers to reach the Internet site's more than 45 million monthly visitors.
Twitter, the two-year-old venture capital-backed company that lets people send an unlimited number of 140-character messages, is just now beginning to ramp up efforts to monetize, or gain revenue from, its popular site. (full story)
No Change: Bank Keeps Interest Rate On Hold - The Bank of England has - as expected - opted to keep the interest rate unchanged at 0.5%.
The Bank of England has - as expected - opted to keep the interest rate unchanged at 0.5%. (full story)
Sports stores face fraud inquiry into claims of price-fixing - The Serious Fraud Office has launched an investigation into alleged anti-competitive activities and fraud involving the sportswear retailers JJB Sports and Sports Direct that could lead to significant fines and even jail sentences if such practices are found to have occurred.
Following a referral from the Office of Fair Trading, the SFO confirmed that it had beguns proceedings after JJB approached the OFT in exchange for immunity in January. Yesterday, the offices of both companies were raided as part of a wide ranging investigation into alleged "cartel activity" between the chains to lessen competition in the sportswear sector. (full story)
Britain's fourth-biggest grocer, which had raised earnings expectations in an unscheduled trading update in July, said on Thursday it made profit before tax and one-off items of 359 million pounds in the six months to August 2. (full story)
Bank set to hold interest rates - The Bank of England is widely expected to hold interest rates at 0.5% for the sixth month in a row, when it announces its decision later.
It is also likely to maintain its programme of pumping money into the economy - called quantitative easing - but is not tipped to extend it. (full story)
FTSE soars through 5,000 mark for first time in a year but Mandelson warns of second economic dip - The FTSE 100 index of Britain's top companies surged through the 5,000 mark today for the first time since October, as City investors leapt on increasing belief that an economic recovery is under way.
Investors also piled back into shares after being encouraged by the recent revival in takeover activity, such as Kraft's £10.2bn bid for Cadbury and the mega-merger between T-Mobile and Orange's UK. (full story)
Apple Boss Back In Charge With New iPod - Apple's CEO has returned to the spotlight after lifesaving surgery to announce the new iPod Nano range will have in-built video cameras.
Steve Jobs received a standing ovation when he took to the stage at a news conference in San Francisco. (full story)
Dixon leads M&S race after board promotion - Marks & Spencer reignited speculation about who will be its new chief executive by promoting John Dixon, its head of food, to the board yesterday.
Mr Dixon was only appointed director of food in July 2008, but has emerged as the main internal contender to succeed Sir Stuart Rose. The retailer's executive chairman, who has been lambasted for his dual role – which breaches best practice on corporate governance – will step down as chief executive no later than July 2010. (full story)
The Chancellor sought to draw the battle lines for the next election, suggesting Labour will cut costs but not services once the economy is growing again. (full story)
UK is Europe's 'easiest economy' - The UK is the fifth easiest economy in the world in which to conduct business, according to the World Bank.
It has moved up one place from last year in the bank's annual "Doing Business" survey, making it the best placed country in Europe. (full story)
China's Geely eyes bid for Ford's Volvo cars - China's Geely Automotive (0175.HK) said on Wednesday its parent wants to bid for Ford's (F.N) Volvo Car Corp, becoming the latest Chinese automaker to chase a foreign brand in a global industry overhaul.
The move could boost the profile of Geely, a small, home-grown car maker and, more importantly, give it access to Volvo technology it needs to upgrade its cars, analysts said, though some doubted it could manage an international brand. (full story)
Sports Direct upgrades profits on sales boost - Sports Direct today revealed revenues rose 10 per cent in the early summer and upgraded its profit forecasts as the retailer began to lift itself out of the recession.
Ahead of the company's annual meeting today, turnover at the sports retailer, owned by entrepreneur Mike Ashley, rose from last year’s £336 million to £375 million in the 13 weeks ending July 26. (full story)
Orange and T-Mobile merger could see 1,000 jobs cut - More than 1,000 British jobs could be lost as a result of Orange and T-Mobile's merger to create the UK's largest mobile phone company.
The companies confirmed on Tuesday that they are planning to merge their British operations to create a new jointly-owned business with more than 28.4m customers. (full story)
T-Mobile and Orange may merge in JV - Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) and France Telecom (FTE.PA) are in exclusive negotiations to combine their UK mobile operations into a new 50-50 joint venture, the German company said on Tuesday.
The move follows an announcement by Deutsche Telekom earlier this year that it was considering its options for the UK unit, which has struggled in the highly competitive market, in which five operators and several smaller players compete. (full story)
Google facing European challenge to digital library - Google was forced to offer concessions to European publishers yesterday as it came under pressure over its plans to digitise the world’s books.
The internet search engine said that it would remove all books still on sale in Europe from its US online market, which offers millions of titles currently out of print in the United States. Google instead plans to negotiate agreements with European publishers and authors. (full story)
High Street sales fall back again - Retail sales fell in August after two months of increases, casting doubt on a prolonged recovery in High Street consumer spending.
UK like-for-like sales - which do not include new stores - fell 0.1% compared with the same month last year, said the British Retail Consortium (BRC). (full story)
'Zombie' insurer Pearl to appoint Ron Sandler as executive chairman - Northern Rock chairman Ron Sandler has been lined up as the new executive chairman of insurance group Pearl, The Daily Telegraph has learned.
Mr Sandler, who was appointed to oversee the bank's rehabilitation last year, will join the "zombie" insurer – so-called because it consolidated closed life businesses – to oversee its restructuring. (full story)
Aquascutum returns to British ownership - Fashion brand Aquascutum is to return to British ownership after entrepreneur Harold Tillman today announced a deal to buy the business.
Mr Tillman, who is best known for the transformation of upmarket retailer Jaeger, has acquired the Aquascutum brand from Japan's Renown. (full story)
Whitbread hires ex-Boots boss as sales slide - Whitbread has hired Richard Baker, the former chief executive of Boots, as a non-executive director, sparking speculation he may succeed John Parker as boss.
The company announced Mr Baker’s appointment as it revealed a 2.6 per cent fall in like-for-like sales during the first half of the year, following a steep 7.7 per cent slide in revenue at Premier Inn, the budget hotel chain. (full story)
Cadbury shares soar after £10.2bn takeover approach from Toblerone maker Kraft Foods - Cadbury, the company behind Dairy Milk, has rejected a £10.2bn takeover offer from Toblerone-maker Kraft Foods, which the US company says would create jobs in Britain.
Shares in Cadbury soared more than 30pc after the surprise statement from Kraft this morning. The American company said that it had approached the board of Cadbury's with an offer to pay 745p a share, split between 300p in cash and 0.2589 of Kraft's shares for each of Cadbury's. (full story)
Rivals 'in battle for T-Mobile' - Vodafone and O2 have both tabled bids of about £3.5bn to buy T-Mobile UK from owner Deutsche Telecom, the Sunday Times has reported.
The report says a decision was likely to be made within weeks. (full story)
Discount web vouchers prove big hit - Recession-scarred consumers are embracing a thrifty habit that is likely to outlast any economic recovery: the use of online discount vouchers to save money on retail, food and other purchases. (full story)
AB Foods ups forecast on strong Primark - Associated British Foods (ABF.L) nudged up its full-year earnings forecast on Monday thanks to a strong performance at its Primark discount fashion chain and its sugar business.
The London-based group, 55-percent-owned by the family of Chief Executive George Weston, said it now expected "some progress" in adjusted earnings for the year ending September 12, compared with its previous forecast for a flat outcome. (full story)
You could argue it's long over due really. After all, out of all the arts you'd put your house on literature beating music and film into the online environment and although there have been several tame attempts to publish online, this new effort from Google will surely be the one that allows the art to really take off.
The fact that the concept is drawing in much more media attention than Spotify's rapid rise to web dominance or Youtube's big deal to bring back music videos to their site suggests that online literature is something that people truly care about.
The power you could get from an online library is potentially staggering. The Internet is a storage space for data and the idea of being able to search, not just for specific books but specific paragraphs, maybe even sentences is quite incredible.
Here at Artesian, we are proving the value of pinpointing specific information for specific needs. As more material is added to the web, this value will only increase. Whilst many are debating the pros and cons of putting literature online, there's no debating that it could well revolutionize the art, providing it with a new lease of life, as well as offering opportunities to a greater number of writers than printed literature ever could. This could well be an exciting new chapter for publishers, authors and readers a like.
Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 developed and emerging nations are meeting in London on Friday and Saturday to discuss the next steps in fighting the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. (full story)
Google China chief leaves company - The man who led Google's expansion into China is leaving the company to start his own business.
Lee Kai-Fu, who joined from Microsoft in 2004, will step down as president of Google in greater China in September, the company said. (full story)
easyJet to close base and cut flights after Air Passenger Duty row - A row over landing fees and the Government's "blunt holiday tax" in the form of Air Passenger Duty (APD) have prompted easyJet to cut 20pc of its flying programme at Luton and close its small East Midlands base.
Andy Harrison, the low-fare airline's chief executive, said he would be diverting the aircraft to lower-cost continental airports as he attacked Luton's failure to "recognise the commercial realities of the recession" and the Government's inability to see that £10 APD on short-haul flights "costs jobs". (full story)
Financial customers deliver 9 million complaints - The UK financial services industry has been hit by nine million formal customer complaints in the past three years, new figures revealed yesterday.
The Financial Services Authority figures, which have not been published before, reveal the scale of customer dissatisfaction within the UK and indicates that it is worsening. Complaints in the second half of 2008 grew by 5.8 per cent compared with three years ago to 1.48 million — equivalent to more than 8,000 every day — with banks on the receiving end of two out of every three complaints. (full story)
Oracle’s Sun deal snagged in Brussels - Oracle’s $7.4bn acquisition of Sun Microsystems hit an unexpected and potentially damaging obstacle in Brussels on Thursday as European antitrust officials opted to break with Washington in order to scrutinise the deal more closely.
The more stringent stance in Brussels breaks with recent efforts by competition authorities on either side of the Atlantic to align their investigations, and is particularly notable since the deal has already been given the green light by a new US administration that has taken a tougher line on competition issues, particularly in the tech industry. (full story)
HMV strikes deal to grab digital music sales - HMV is attempting to become a major player in the downloadable music market by taking a 50 per cent stake in the technology specialist, 7digital.
The retail chain said that the deal would boost sales at HMV and Waterstone's, the book store which it also owns. (full story)
Bovis unveils placing for land buys - House builder Bovis Homes (BVS.L) unveiled a placing to raise 60 million pounds on Thursday to take advantage of opportunities in the residential land market.
Bovis said it is placing up to 12.1 million shares, which represent approximately 10 percent of the group's share capital. (full story)
Jobs boost with new Mini models - Two new models of the Mini are to be built at BMW's plant in Oxfordshire creating up to 1,000 jobs, sources suggest.
Two concept cars - one a coupe - will be unveiled on 15 September and will be produced at the company's factory in Cowley, near Oxford. (full story)
Strike 'Could Threaten Choccie Supplies' - Chocolate supplies could come under threat if 1,200 Cadbury workers go ahead with their threat to strike.
Unite union officials said industrial action was "certain to hit supplies of some of the most popular chocolate products in the country". (full story)
Tax haven attempts to stave off crisis - The Cayman Islands, the Caribbean territory that is home to most of the world’s hedge funds, on Wednesday pledged to protect its financial sector in spite of considering harsh measures to stave off a budget crisis.
The overseas territory, which is facing a ballooning deficit in the wake of the economic downturn and rising public spending, suffered a setback last week when Britain refused to allow it to take on more debt. (full story)
Prime Minister Gordon Brown will make the announcement at a Backing Young Britain summit in Birmingham. (full story)
DSG first-quarter sales fall less than expected - DSG International, Europe's second-biggest electrical goods retailer, posted a smaller-than-expected quarterly sales drop on Wednesday and said it had agreed to sell its Polish operations.
The group, which runs Currys and PC World in Britain, Elkjop in the Nordic region and UniEuro in Italy, said sales at stores open at least a year fell 6 percent in the 16 weeks to August 22, as double-digit percentage falls in UK electricals and computing sales were partly offset by strong sales in Nordic countries. (full story)
eBay Raises Billion Pounds In Skype Sale - Internet auction site eBay is selling a 65% stake in its online phone business Skype for £1.2bn.
A group of private equity investors have agreed to buy the controlling shareholding in the company. (full story)
Sony plans to put 3D TVs in homes by end of 2010 - Sony will announce today that it is aiming to put 3D televisions in homes by the end of 2010.
Sir Howard Stringer, its chief executive, is due to announce that consumers will be able to buy 3D Bravia television sets, Vaio laptops, Playstation3 games consoles and Blu-Ray disc players that are compatible with 3D technology. (full story)
Make mine a half: Majestic cuts minimum purchase of wine - Majestic Wine, the chain of warehouse outlets, hopes to raise the spirits among its customers by halving their minimum purchase to six bottles per visit.
The move, which was introduced yesterday, follows a successful year-long trial in its Newcastle and Darlington stores, where "customer feetback has been very positive". (full story)
