This subscriber loss may haunt RIM in coming months

 share price popped by 8% soon after it released its earnings, buoyed by positive sales and earnings surprises. The fact that RIM managed to beat expectations on both fronts is a real achievement. The company has been able to manage the 50% annualized decline in device volume a lot more gracefully than most investors expected. The adjusted EPS loss of $0.22 was much smaller than the $0.36 loss...

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RIM loses BlackBerry subscribers for first time

 Research In Motion's stock plunged in after-hours trading Thursday after the BlackBerry maker said it plans to change the way it charges fees.RIM also announced that it lost subscribers for the first time in the latest quarter, as the global number of BlackBerry users dipped to 79 million.In a rare positive sign, the Canadian company added to its cash position during the quarter as it prepared...

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RIM shares slump as service revenue, subscriber concerns weigh

Research In Motion shares tumbled more than 10 percent on Thursday after the company reported the first ever decline in its subscriber numbers and outlined plans to transform the way it charges for its BlackBerry services.RIM, which hopes to revive its fortunes and reinvent itself via the launch of a brand new line of BlackBerry 10 devices next month, caught investors off-guard on its quarterly conference...

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Nokia to get payments in patent deal with RIM

Struggling Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has settled its patent dispute with BlackBerry maker Research in Motion in return for payments, as it tries to exploit its trove of technology patents to boost its finances.Terms of the agreement were confidential, but Nokia said on Friday it included a one-time payment to be booked in the fourth quarter, as well as ongoing fees, all to be paid by RIM.Nokia...

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HTC brushes off Microsoft’s earlier rejection, will reportedly make Windows RT tablets after all

Microsoft (MSFT) may have barred HTC (2498) from participating in the first wave of Windows RT tablets, but that apparently hasn’t stopped the company from gearing up for the next wave. Unnamed sources have told Bloomberg that HTC “is working on a 12-inch device and a 7-inch version” of a Windows RT tablet “that can also make phone calls.” The planned seven-inch tablet, which will be unveiled alongside...

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Zurich puts Sandy storm damage claims at $700 million

 Zurich estimates that damage claims relating to tropical storm Sandy, which hit the United States in October, will amount to $700 million in its fourth-quarter earnings.The Swiss insurer's announcement on Monday also said that it expects $58 million of "reinstatement premiums due on reinsurance covers". The company gave no further explanation. It is due to report quarterly earnings on February...

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Laclede to double customers in $1 billion deal with Energy Transfer

 Natural gas distributor Laclede Group Inc is buying two utilities from Energy Transfer Equity LP for $1 billion, doubling its customer numbers and boosting its exposure to more stable state-regulated income.More than 91 percent of Laclede's earnings will come from rate-regulated business after the acquisition of Missouri Gas Energy and New England Gas Co, owned by Energy Transfer's affiliate,...

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Sun Life sells U.S. annuity business, shares drop

 Sun Life Financial Inc will sell its U.S. annuity business for $1.35 billion to a firm connected to Guggenheim Partners in a deal that should reduce the exposure of the insurer's earnings to market swings and boost its cash levels.While the deal could bring long-term benefits to Sun Life, whose earnings have been derailed by wild market swings during recent years, investors pulled the company's...

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FactSet forecasts second-quarter results largely below estimates, shares fall

 FactSet Research Systems Inc reported lower-than-expected first-quarter revenue, and the financial information provider forecast current-quarter results largely below estimates as banks and brokerages cut costs.FactSet shares fell 5 percent before the bell on Tuesday.The company, which provides data to portfolio managers, research analysts and investment bankers, forecast second-quarter earnings...

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Jefferies results beat estimates on higher fixed-income revenue

 Jefferies Group Inc reported a higher-than-expected adjusted quarterly profit as the investment bank benefited from higher earnings from its fixed-income unit, and said its business expansion in Asia has started delivering.The midsized investment bank has been expanding in China and India and recently poached bankers from the Royal Bank of Scotland to expand its business in China.Jefferies said...

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The Great Netflix Christmas Outage Is Thankfully Over

The great Netflix outage of Christmas 2012 is thankfully over, according to a tweet from the company. The service went down last night, during arguably one of the worst possible times ever, when many people stuck at home with their families would hope to seek a little refuge in some streaming movies. Special thanks to our awesome members for being patient. We're back to normal streaming levels. We...

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Netflix streaming service back online after outage

Those hoping to spend the holiday watching streaming video from Netflix can now get back in front of their TVs, tablets and PCs after a Christmas Eve outage.A Netflix Inc. spokesman said by email Tuesday morning that the service has been fully restored.The outage affected customers in the Americas starting around 12:30 p.m. PST on Monday. The company, which is based in Los Gatos, Calif., blames problems...

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Netflix suffers Christmas Eve outage, points to Amazon

 An outage at one of Amazon's web service centers hit users of Netflix Inc.'s streaming video service on Christmas Eve and was not fully resolved until Christmas day, a spokesman for the movie rental company said on Tuesday.The outage impacted Netflix subscribers across Canada, Latin America and the United States, and affected various devices that enable users to stream movies and television...

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Samsung Elec seeks U.S. sales ban on some Ericsson products

Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday it had filed a complaint against Ericsson with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), requesting a U.S. import ban and sales ban on some of the Swedish telecoms equipment maker's products.The action taken on Friday by the world's top smartphone maker, which accused Ericsson of breaching seven of its patents, came after Ericsson requested an ITC U.S. import...

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Netflix blames Amazon for Christmas Eve outage

 An outage at one of Amazon's web service centers hit users of Netflix Inc's streaming video service on Christmas Eve and was not fully resolved until Christmas Day, a spokesman for the movie rental company said on Tuesday.The outage impacted Netflix subscribers across Canada, Latin America and the United States, and affected various devices that enable users to stream movies and television shows...

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Pope's Christmas message focuses on Mideast, China

 In his Christmas message to the world Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI called for an end to the slaughter in Syria and for more meaningful negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, while encouraging more religious freedom under China's new leaders.Delivering the traditional speech from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, Benedict also encouraged Arab spring nations, especially Egypt,...

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Cricket-South Africa v New Zealand Twenty20 scoreboard

DURBAN, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Scoreboard from the firstTwenty20 International between South Africa and New Zealand atKingsmead Stadium on Friday.New ZealandR.Nicol c de Kock b Kleinveldt 3P.Fulton c Morris b Steyn 9B.McCullum c Steyn b Kleinveldt 6J.Franklin c de Kock b McLaren 0C.Munro c and b Morris 23C.Anderson c Levi b Morris 5N.McCullum b Peterson 1J.Neesham b Peterson 10D.Bracewell not out 21R.Hira...

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Tennis-Robson, Watson to warm up for Australian Open in Hobart

MELBOURNE, Dec 22 (Reuters) - British Olympic silver medallist Laura Robson and compatriot Heather Watson will warm up for the Australian Open at the Jan. 4-12 Hobart International, organisers said on Saturday.The 18-year-old Robson, who won mixed doubles silver with men's singles champion Andy Murray at the London Olympics, will make her first appearance at the Tasmanian tournament headlined by former...

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Robson, Watson to warm up for Australian Open in Hobart

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - British Olympic silver medalist Laura Robson and compatriot Heather Watson will warm up for the Australian Open at the January 4-12 Hobart International, organisers said on Saturday. The 18-year-old Robson, who won mixed doubles silver with men's singles champion Andy Murray at the London Olympics, will make her first appearance at the Tasmanian tournament headlined by former...

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Cricket-Oram opts out of New Zealand contract

Dec 22 (Reuters) - All-rounder Jacob Oram has opted out of his New Zealand Cricket (NZC) central contract to focus on his professional Twenty20 career.The 34-year-old Oram, who played 33 tests and 160 one-day internationals, secured an early release from his contract, NZC said in a statement on Saturday."This was a very difficult decision but in recent weeks I have come to the conclusion that I can...

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Tsotsobe ruled out of Twenty20 series

DURBAN (Reuters) - South Africa left-arm pace bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe has been ruled out of the three-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand starting on Friday after suffering an ankle injury, Cricket South Africa said.Lonwabo, 28 was taken for a scan on Thursday after bowling 10 balls in the nets on the eve of the first international.His withdrawal follows the news that another pace bowler Vernon...

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Ben Stiller's Red Hour sells two more comedies to ABC Studios

Ben Stiller's Red Hour Television is continuing to pump out comedies for ABC Studios.Following the sale of "Complikated" in October, the production company has sold network's production division two new series - "You're Not Doing It Right" and "Between Two Kings" - a rep for Red Hour told TheWrap on Monday.Comedian Michael Ian Black writes, stars and produces in the former, a half-hour single-camera...

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Participant Media plans cable TV network targeting millenials

 Entertainment company Participant Media, one of the backers of the hit historical drama "Lincoln", will launch a cable TV network next summer with programming that focuses on social issues of interest to the millenials generation of teens and young adults.The channel's original programming, films and documentaries will be aimed at viewers age 18 to 34 in the large demographic group known as...

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"Family Guy," "Haven" episodes pulled due to Newtown shootings rescheduled

In a possible sign that the nation - or at least network programmers are beginning to regain their composure after Friday's horrific school shootings in Newtown, Conn., episodes of Fox's "Family Guy" and Syfy's "Haven" have been rescheduled.The "Family Guy" episode "Jesus, Mary and Joseph," which was initially scheduled to run on Sunday before being pulled from the schedule following the massacre,...

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Leah Remini sued by former managers over "Family Tools" commissions

Leah Remini's new TV gig is already giving her a headache, months before it even starts. Former "King of Queens" star Remini is being sued by her former managers, the Collective Management Group, which claims that it's owed $67,000 in commissions relating to her upcoming ABC comedy "Family Tools," which debuts May 1.In a complaint filed with Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, the Collective says...

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National Geographic marks anniversary with "Exploration" of Titanic, Lighting Strikes, Genghis Khan

 The National Geographic Channel is celebrating the 125th anniversary of the National Geographic Society with a new "Night of Exploration" on Fridays that will look at Titanic, Stonehenge, Easter Island, and more of the world's fascinating places and mysteries.Beginning January 11, the network will air programs about exploration every Friday night from 8 to 10 p.m. On that night, it will premiere...

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Cancer Immunotherapy Where Are We Going?

The compelling concept of utilizing the patient's own immune system for a stronger and more effective way to attack cancer cells is not a new one. William Coley observed in 1891 that infections produced in patients with inoperable cancer following an injection of streptococcal organisms (Gram-positive bacteria) led to tumor shrinkage especially when the patients developed fever and other signs of...

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