Why the Media Are Wrong on Stem Cells… Again

As I predicted, the Obama administration is moving forward with policies that will directly benefit stem cell and thorium nuclear power top stocks.

The administration's health care summit takes place this week. It is widely expected that the president will make official his pledge to lift the limitations on embryonic stem cell (eSC) research. Last week, Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin and Republican Sen. Arlen Specter introduced a bill that would make it illegal for any future president to impose such limits.

Once again, the media are getting the stem cell story wrong. This change will have little impact on companies working on SC therapies. As I've said many times, the ability to create induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from adult cells has changed everything. The use of embryonic cells in future therapies is now unnecessary, if not foolish.

This is not to say, though, that lifting the ban on the use of federal funding will not produce winners. The reason is that stem cells have important uses beyond therapies that were stifled by the funding ban.

Theoretically, it was possible to privately fund research on unapproved eSC lines under the Bush ban. To do so, though, researchers would have had to cut themselves off from any other work involving federal grant monies. In most cases, disconnecting from the intricate network of federally funded research was a practical impossibility. You would be hard pressed to find a university or big pharmaceutical company that does not accept government grants in some form. The impact of the ban was, therefore, enormous.

The field of research that suffered most was genetic disease drug discovery. Specifically, it was research aimed at finding cures for the inherited genetic diseases that afflict millions of Americans alone. What scientists have long wanted is access to stem cells that carry the diseases they want to treat. With an unlimited number of disease-carrying cells, potential treatments could be tested and analyzed with far greater efficiency.

Now, let's move to the thorium front…

I previously told you about the Thorium Energy Independence and Security Act of 2008. Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, this bill is designed in large part to produce an alternative solution to the problem of nuclear wastes. Thorium reactor technologies fit that bill for two reasons. Not only do they produce fewer byproducts, they can be used to burn the wastes produced by other nuclear technologies.

Last week, President Obama dramatically moved the thorium industry forward. He announced that he would kill the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste depository project. This is despite the $9 billion already spent on the project.

Reid, of course, is bragging about his role in the decision. So where does this leave us? The Yucca Mountain project, located in Reid's home state of Nevada, was considered critical to the future of nuclear power generation in America. Since Obama, Reid and Pelosi all promote nuclear power, this significantly increases the likelihood that thorium reactor technologies will be fast-tracked.

Peak Oil Stock: The Collapse of Banking

What next? Isn't that a question, though...
     
The Peak Oil story was never about running out of oil. It was about the collapse of complex systems in a world economy faced by the prospect of no further oil-fueled growth. It was something of a shock to many that the first complex system to fail would be banking, but the process is obvious: no more growth means no more ability to pay interest on credit... end of story, as Tony Soprano used to say.
    
There was a popular theory among Peak Oilers the last decade that the world would enter a "bumpy plateau" period when the global economy would get beaten down by peak oil, would then revive as "demand destruction" drove down oil prices, and would be beaten down again as oil prices shot up in response ― with serial repetitions of the cycle, each beat-down taking economies lower ― the only imaginable outcome being some sort of quiet homeostasis. This scenario did not play out as expected. It was predicated on a mistaken assumption that all systems would retain some kind of operational resilience while ratcheting down. Anyway, the banking system was mortally wounded in the first go-round and the behemoth is dying hard.
    
The last desperate act of the banking system in the face of Peak Oil's no-more-growth equation was to engineer species of tradable securities that could produce wealth out of thin air rather than productive activity. This was the alphabet soup of algorithm-derived frauds with vague and confounding names such as credit default swaps (CDSs), collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), structured investment vehicles (SIVs), and, of course, the basic filler, mortgage backed securities. The banking system is now choking to death on these delicacies.
    
The trouble is that the EMT squad brought in to rescue the banking system ― that is, governments ― can't remove these obstructions from the patient's craw. They don't want to drown in a mighty upchuck of the alphabet soup.
    
The collapse of complex systems is actually predicated on the idea that the systems would mutually reinforce each other's failures. This is now plain to see as the collapse of banking (that is, of both lending and debt service), has led to the collapse of commerce and manufacturing. The next systems to go will probably be farming, transportation, and the oil markets themselves (which constitute the system for allocating and distributing world energy resources). As these things seize up, the final system to go will be governance, at least at the highest levels.
    
If we're really lucky, human affairs will eventually reorganize at a lower scale of activity, governance, civility, and economy. Every week, the failure to recognize the nature of our predicament thrusts us further into the uncharted territory of hardship. The task of government right now is not to prop up doomed systems at their current scales of failure, but to prepare the public to rebuild our systems at smaller scales.
    
The net effect of the failures in banking is that a lot of people have less money than they expected they would have a year ago. This is bad enough, given our habits and practices of modern life. But what happens when farming collapses? The prospect for that is closer than most of us might realize. The way we produce our food has been organized at a scale that has ruinous consequences, not least its addiction to capital. Now that banking is in collapse, capital will be extremely scarce. Nobody in the cities reads farm news, or listens to farm reports on the radio. Guess what, though: we are entering the planting season. It will be interesting to learn how many farmers "out there" in the Cheez Doodle belt are not able to secure loans for this year's crop.
     
My guess is that the disorder in agriculture will be pretty severe this year, especially since some of the world's most productive places ― California, northern China, Argentina, the Australian grain belt ― are caught in extremes of drought on top of capital shortages. If the US government is going to try to make remedial policy for anything, it better start with agriculture, to promote local, smaller-scaled farming using methods that are much less dependent on oil byproducts and capital injections.
     
This will, of course, require a re-allocation of lands suitable for growing food. Our real estate market mechanisms could conceivably enable this to happen, but not without a coherent consensus that it is imperative to do so. If agri-business as currently practiced doesn't founder on capital shortages, it will surely collapse on disruptions in the oil markets. President Obama at least made a start in the right direction by proposing to eliminate further subsidies to farmers above the $250,000 level. But the situation is really more acute. Surely the US Department of Agriculture already knows about it, but the public may not be interested until the shelves in the Piggly-Wiggly are bare ― and then, of course, they'll go apeshit.
    
The recent huge drop in oil prices has left the public once again convinced that the world is drowning in oil ― if only the scoundrelly oil companies were forced to deliver it at reasonable prices. The public has been consistently deluded about this for decades. What's missing so far is for the president of the US to lay out the reality of the situation in a dedicated TV address. I know a lot of you think that Jimmy Carter already tried this and failed to make an impression (and ruined his presidency in the process). I guarantee you that Mr. Obama will have to do this sometime in the next few years whether he likes or not, and he'd be well-advised to get it done sooner rather than later. And by this I don't mean just vague allusions to "energy independence" or "renewables" in speeches devoted to many other issues. I mean telling the public the plain truth that we'll never offset oil depletion and the intelligent response i s to do everything possible to transition to walkable towns and public transit, not to sustain the unsustainable.
     
The alternatives ― i.e. what we're trying now ― is to further delude ourselves into thinking that we can run WalMart and the suburbs by some other means than oil. Despite all our investments in these things, we won't be able to run them by other means, and the news about this had better get out before enormous disappointment turns into titanic rage. If Americans think they've been grifted by Goldman Sachs and Bernie Madoff, wait until they find out what a swindle the so-called "American Dream" of suburban life turns out to be.
    
On this blizzardy Monday in the power centers of America, attention is fixed on the never-ending fiasco of AIG ― a company whose main product turned out to be credit default swaps, and is now choking on them. Kibitzers on the sidelines of finance are forecasting a king-hell bear market suckers' rally in the stock markets followed by a belly flop to Dow 4000 or lower. I myself called for Dow 4000 two years ago ― and was obviously a bit off on my timing. All this is surely trouble enough. But while your attention is focused on Rick Santelli in the Chicago trader's pit, or Larry Kudlow desperately seeking "mustard seeds" of new growth in financials, try to let one eye stray to the horizon where these other complex systems are working out their next moves. Farming. The oil markets. These are the coming theaters of alarm and distress.

"How can two obviously intelligent guys like yourselves find anything to value in Sarah Palin? I read your essay, Don, and found it somewhat insightful, the points obvious for those of us who consider the economy and its effects (but still your points are valid) and I'm sure news to some.

"But then you state that Sarah's your gal? And Gary, you also state some support for Palin. I'm at my wits end.

"That woman is such an obvious fraud that it became painful to watch her embarrass herself. If she has any intellect capable of understanding anything beyond the immediately obvious to any dog or cat, she wins an Academy Award for her ability to hide it. When she opened her mouth to speak it was painfully obvious that she fails to understand the simplest rationale, and she honestly believed she made points instead by employing colloquialisms, further defining her shallow, narrow understanding of most anything.

"As far as any knowledge of societies, economies, history, governing philosophies, or even our government, she proved to possess little knowledge. Electing people like Palin to governing positions because they're popular, or considered good communicators, is exactly how we've arrived at our current predicament. It's past time for voters to do an infinitely better job of selecting electing representatives and then following their actions and demanding accountability, while diluting the influence of special interests and their paid, professional lobbyists. Failing to do so will surely eliminate our right to vote at all.

"Surely you two are pulling my leg about the Sarah thing."

I do not dare speak for Don, but I agree with your assessment of Sarah…but when did I say anything about voting her into office? I just wish she'd return my phone calls.

Another Shooter seemed to know where I was coming from and warned: "God will damn you to hell for the lust in your heart." I assure you, Shooter, that my intentions are honorable.
 
And here is some angry protest from the Marxists who insist on reading our letters…

"Dear writer of the article: Gary Gibson?

"This article is an insult to my intelligence! You cater to fear [and] ignorance, and you propound borderline conspiracy-doomsday theories of the most banal ilk. Your beloved unregulated capitalism has sent the world economy into a tailspin of epic proportions. Even Allen Greenspan an avatar (Ayn Rand devotee and all) of the free enterprise system said his core working assumptions are now in doubt! Added insult to this rant is your mention of Sarah Palin as a serious candidate for our nation's highest office. Even John McCain's aides were appalled at her ignorance and leaked negative information. I spent ten years being a high school social studies teacher; you do a disservice to our country by these Jeremiads, which are not even half-truths, but one-eighth truths at best! Please remove me from this email list!

"A recovering ex-Republican, conservative and Ayn Rand devotee

"P.S. I would love to debate this point further with you. How about the thesis: unregulated free markets caused the sub-prime mess and brought us into a recession? How do you logically refute this?"

We spend a couple thousand words each business day trying to explain that the fiat money, fractional reserve banking, government-regulated thing that is destroying all your lives is not a free market based on sound money.

If you don't understand this or simply refuse to, then I'm not sure why you were receiving our newsletter in the first place. If you don't know the difference between our modern day Alan Greenspan and the dashing young Randian he replaced, then nothing you read in this newsletter can help you anyway.

That a statist and proponent of centralized planning such as you taught "social studies" in high school wouldn't surprise me, especially if you did so in a public school…but it still saddens me.

The Washington Post reports: "The government needs to continue moving aggressively to combat the recession and financial crisis, even as it takes steps to rein in the budget deficit in the longer term, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said this morning."

With an entire planet of people clamoring for more government management and bailouts ― and with the government happily obliging ― you may want to consider bailing yourself out.

Making Home Affordable: The Kickoff Begins

Help is coming for nine million overtaxed, indebted sods - so goes the jingle from our newest president of these United States.

That's a little more than those who are drowning right now.

One in five U.S. mortgage-payers is underwater. That's over eight million of us. In times like this I cross myself and thank God I'm a renter.

Home values plunged a collective $2.4 trillion last year.

California, Texas, Nevada, Virginia and Florida form the primary wastelands.

However, according to First American ― who tracks mortgages from California's ground zero ― should housing prices drop another 5%, another 2.2 million will get dragged under the swift current of decline. 

That takes the tally up to 10.2 million ― no surplus to be found in this "new" program.

President Barack Obama proposed $275 billion plan makes use of refinancing or restructuring America's home loans. All you need: most recent tax return and two pay stubs…oh, and also an "affidavit of financial hardship."

About $75 billion (good until 2012) would be used to rescue homeowners by paying lenders to alter troubled mortgages ― inducing the lender to reduce borrowers interest rates as low as two percent.

The catch: you can only modify once. And if you bought after Jan. 1, 2009, you're outta luck. Also, if you were mad enough to try for property worth over $729,750…call your relatives and hand the keys to the bank. (If you're lucky, they'll want to make a reality TV show about your "hardship." I hear one of the latest TV pilot shows is an ex-Wall Streeter who has to move back home with mom and dad.)

About five million folks fall under the aegis of Fannie or Freddie, and they've got until 2010 to rework these rotten loans to temporarily sweeter terms.

Now here's what's rotten in the state of Washington D.C. ― this currently un-legislated and unfunded plan looks pretty similar to its circa 2005-2006 cousin…the brainchild of one Neel Kashkari, interim head of our Office of Financial Stability. (Yes, created by that first "bailout bill" ― code name: Break the Glass.) 

This fellow from Akron, Ohio, who advanced in life to Hank Paulson minion, took this hallowed fiscal post on Oct. 6, 2008. Before that, he was a V.P. of Goldman Sachs in San Francisco, where they nicknamed him "the Borg." Then, Kashkari approached Mr. Paulson for that solid government job in 2006 ― great timing! He worked shoulder to shoulder with Hank in bailing out Fannie, Freddie and our perennial problem with the gambling addiction AIG.

In the years between making money for Goldman and overseeing money for Goldman-times-Politics-squared, Mr. Kashkari dabbled in the housing market. Fat surprise that!

To get to any useful information on his 2006-2008 years in service of our government, one has to sift through all sorts of gush, childhood stories, college professor praise, and even "sexiest man alive" references. 

Finally, after typing "Kashkari 2006" into my search engine, I found blogger Angry Bear, corroborating my recollection of forays I conducted just after Paulson tapped this "wet-behind-the-ears" pipsqueak for this interim post.

"HOPE NOW"  ― The John the Forerunner of "Making Home Affordable"

Kashkari was the genius behind Bush's HOPE NOW Alliance in 2007. (Again, it was already far too late to do much).  HOPE NOW looks like Obama's plan of today, only it "encouraged" mortgage lenders to restructure subprime loans voluntarily. Hank announced it in Oct. 2008 ― just after the takeover of Fannie and Freddie.

Like a McDonald's sign, the HOPE NOW slogan is "Over 1 Million Helped" ― when in fact, it just seems that they mailed letters about HOPE NOW to 1 million delinquent homeowners. 

Ha! How many subprime borrowers even live at the address? I hear story after story of mortgage lenders who convinced folks to take funds for homes they couldn't afford, then arranging a deal where they could buy a second home!

Ultimately, what HOPE NOW boils down to is a trademarked Hotline: 808-995-HOPE.  The number of calls fielded is what goes into the press release ― 1.2 million in 2008 ― not the number of workouts.

With today's new plan, we're stuck with dollar-for-dollar matching to encourage lenders to notch down their lending rates. Guess that's how the government can put its money where its mouth is.

We applaud Kashkari's immense ability to lobby a mere six years' work in finance to such a high position, and hope the Senate won't be asked to confirm him anytime soon.

How About Holding Someone Accountable?

Now, a chum of mine, who worked at Fannie circa early 2000, since retired in disgust. Why? Because he saw how pervasive the federally-mandated home ownership tyranny had become. It sickened him. Physically…seeing the heads of Fannie conduct their pep-talks and flash pocket-of-the-government comments. (I'll warn ya, we're getting him to write you a "chock-full-of-numbers" shot soon!)

Now, I'm all for buying a chunk of good land, planting a garden, and having a home of one's own. But I don't have my own house yet. Because the kind of house my income affords is in a neighborhood I can't walk unmolested in. Facts of life. I swallowed them.

I use my credit card for what I can pay off at the end of the month. And I resist the urge to "hope for better times" and shoulder a nice, hearty "American Dream" mortgage. Now if only about five million or so (giving cushion for those surprised by lost jobs, etc.) had been as grown up as me.

I presume the same toxic shenanigans my friend describes at Fannie were happening over at Countrywide…and we know how that one blew! 

So let's play a little round of "Where Are They Now?" before Gary pours our parting shot.

See What Countrywide's Iago Does Today: PennyMac

Fannie, Freddie, AIG, are just like blokes foisting a tin cup in our faces… And they've got just as many sob stories up their sleeves as you find in the savvy street bum ― the one you know is faking it.

Here's how it runs: 

"Got here on the bus, see. And I went to the hospital here (flashes ubiquitous pink or orange plastic bracelet). I'm trying to get back to the hospital, and I need some money for the bus.

"(We wait another minute to point out that said hospital is only 10 blocks down the street.) Now is when he trots out the wife or child in the background, hanging in the shadows on the street corner. "Me and insert name, we've just come all the way up from West Virginia…")"

Here's someone who's not holding out the cup ― because he's working the system instead ― and better than an welfare check recipient we know of. Stanford Kurland. And he now stands to mint millions from this home mortgage mess.

Don't know him? Mr. Kurland played Iago to Mr. Mozilo over at Countrywide Financial. His bag of tricks?

With the more than $200 million he netted from selling his Countrywide stock, and hundreds of millions raised from private equity giants like Blackrock, he's buying up the delinquent home mortgages that the government was forced to takeover from the likes of Fannie and Freddie ― we're talking for pennies on the dollar here.

So how's that for private enterprise making lemonade from lemons? I see it as reprocessing lemonade to shape something that looks, tastes, and smells like a lemon ― but ain't.

He's got this nice, glass-walled boardroom in L.A. for an outfit called PennyMac. 

Yes, PennyMac. The irony of the name makes my stomach lurch.

Can we say nothing about their abusive lending processes that gave some trash-compactor firm like PennyMac a raison d'être in the first place? And I can't help but want to stalk Mr. Kurland when I fly out to West next week and ask him about the proliferation of low-rate "teaser" loans at Countrywide starting back in 2003.

But he'll blame Mozilo, of course, and say it all went to pot in 2006. Yes, yes, businesses regulate themselves ― when those disgusted by bad business practice defect to create new businesses.

How's that for "growth?"

Of course our government will abet Stanford and friends' modus operandi. What choice does it have?

I leave you with this lovely quote from Depression-hardened investor Leon Levy:

"Business people who often sound like libertarians when markets are going up suddenly sound like socialists and beg for bailouts and protection from governments when the economy heads south."

500% Profit From the Media-Ignored Bull Stocks Market

"Don't get too used to cheap oil prices. They won't be around for long."

That's the warning we first shared with you three weeks ago -- when oil traded for $35 a barrel.

Since then, while virtually every media outlet exclusively focused on our financial crisis, oil prices quietly surged an astounding 28%.

And it's just getting started.

The truth is, our team of researchers recently confirmed that we're now in the early stages of another massive bottleneck in supply... one so large that we're realistically looking at $100+ oil -- within the next few months.

But as you'll see in your free report below, we also uncovered a rare investment tool that could pay you as much as 500% as it happens.

In fact, in the past two weeks alone, investors using this powerful tool already gained 34%.

In a market this gut-wrenching, you can't afford to pass this virtually-guaranteed money-making opportunity up.

Every November, the International Energy Agency (IEA) releases its World Energy Outlook report.

The 578-page document blueprints exactly where our future energy sources will come from and when - for leaders and elite investors around the world.

And they read it for good reason...

Since its inception, the findings within the pages have been so accurate that the annual report reigns as "the authority of energy analysis and projections."

In fact, many people today trust their report without question.

I just finished pouring through my copy.

It was handed to me after a fellow geologist, with first-hand experience in the Canadian oil sands, pointed out a shocking error - one that guarantees an imminent spike in the price of oil.

In short, the report claims that:

"Thanks to ever-dwindling supplies in the Middle East, the world will rely on Canada as the largest oil producing country by 2010."

It's been their same projection since 2006.

But there's just one problem.

The World Energy Outlook forgot the other half of the story...

You see, what you won't read in the report is that many of those companies we will rely on have already halted production in scores of their fields.

They were forced to postpone production as the price of oil crashed into the unfeasible $30 range.

Many projects, projects that were expected to seamlessly come online within weeks, are now months - even years - behind.

It's a supply and demand bottleneck we can't stop. And it's guaranteed to once again launch the price of oil violently back to the $140 plus range... very soon.

That's a 250% increase from what we're paying today. And that's a conservative estimate.

The good news is that we also, very recently, uncovered a secret investment - which most Americans know nothing about - that could hand you 500% gains as this spike hits.

And the best part is that it's not related to risky exploration or production companies, either. Instead, it's directly - dollar for dollar - related to the price of oil. Only this gem pays you DOUBLE the gains!

In fact, investors using this blockbuster already pocketed 34% gains - in the last seven days as oil popped 17%!

I've written this letter to give you every last detail on exactly how it works. But first, let me quickly remind you...

How The Smallest Supply Crunch Could Make You Filthy Rich

As you know, four years ago, a pair of hurricanes blitzed our Gulf Coast's oil and gas refineries, forcing our production to a crawl.

That instant, Americans witnessed the unthinkable... oil prices launch from $50 to over $70 per barrel.

It was the first lesson in a cold, hard truth... and what should have been the investment eye-opener of a lifetime.

We learned first-hand exactly how sensitive we were to the tiniest interruption - or even threat of interruption - in our supply.

And it broadsided almost everyone.

In fact, month after month, most so-called experts all over TV, from the CNBC analysts to Dick Cheney... even most Americans foolishly believed everything was fine. And that the price would soon tumble back down.

They were so confident that everything would immediately pan out that they did nothing. And it cost them - quite possibly the opportunity of a lifetime.

Do you remember where you were when gas suddenly hit $4.13?

Most of us sat back in shock and awe as daily gas prices became so painfully expensive that we were forced to cancel holiday and summer vacations... Going out on weekends turned into USA Channel reruns of Monk on the couch... And we only filled-up our tanks just enough to make it to and from work.

But not everyone...

You see, one small group of investors saw it coming from the start. They knew exactly how to play this "bottleneck."

And they played it for everything it was worth... churning winning trade after winning trade.

I'm talking about everyday investors - people like you and me, working long hours just to pay the bills - who saw it coming, suddenly found themselves collecting dozens of massive payouts, the likes of 33% in three months... 156% in 9 months... 611% in 6 months... 1,014% in 17 months... etc.

People like Norman Wilson, an insurance salesman and father of four, who turned a small $10,000 into $61,900 on just three plays during the bottleneck.

And then there's Bill Walker, a machine worker. He used this amazing opportunity to rapidly spin $15,000 into $65,400.

Even school teachers like Lee Davis took advantage of this opportunity and raked in a cool $12,500 profit - in a single week.

They didn't just take the safe - and highly profitable - road by investing in oil futures either... they took advantage of the scores of oil companies, spreading like wildfire, to our northern borders.

And their timing was perfect. Shortly after their positions were already secured:

Canada.com declared - "Energy Stocks Drive TSX Higher"

Fortune Magazine printed - "Canada's oil sands remain alluring as a future source of crude. Suncor (Research), the pioneer of Alberta's booming industry, has returned 142 percent since we recommended it."

Forbes noticed - "Gurus Fill Up With Oil And Gas Stocks"

Bloomberg reported - "Canadian Stocks Headed For Best Weekly Advance In Three Months... Led by materials and energy producers"

And with an estimated 1.5 trillion barrels locked under their soil, and oil prices skyrocketing faster by the day, Canada's low-priced outfits suddenly became the hottest investments since Exxon.

Investors in companies like Suncor, Grey Wolf, UTS, Conacher and many more - companies sitting on oil resources that we desperately need to come online as early as 2010 - easily raked in 200%, 300%, even 1,000% gains in a matter of months, as oil prices skyrocketed beyond $147 per barrel!

But By The Time The Easiest Money Was Made, Most Americans Catching On Found Themselves S.O.L.

Sadly, it took oil prices to break over $100 a barrel before most investors started realizing that they could have made an absolute fortune.

They missed the boat.

And those earlier investors - the ones who caught the first stages of a run - the ones who knew where the profits would be juiciest, started cashing out at the peak, just as our banking and economic crisis cranked into high-gear.

Then, of course, the weakened world-wide economy acted as the final bulldozer that toppled July's high of $147 all the way down to $33 a barrel by December 17th.

And while the average American rejoiced that - at the very least - gasoline was "affordable" again... something much more tragic - and much more profitable quietly unfolded.

You see, thanks to prices becoming too low, many of Canada's oil companies - resources that would supply crucially needed oil for the U.S. and rest of the world in a few months - couldn't stay in business.

And we need that oil, like a junkie needs his fix.

In fact, the U.S. depends on AND imports more oil from Canada than from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, and Iraq - combined.

But one by one, we started finding major oil projects temporarily closing up shop. Drilling and refining stopped. Exploration and testing lost all capital. And their share prices ultimately plummeted.

Just to name a few examples:

StatoilHydro recently yanked the rug from under a $12 billion project in Canada's Peace River.

Both Nexen Inc and Opti Canada Inc were forced to halt advancement on major projects in Alberta.

Suncor, Canada's oldest oil sands operator, was forced to cut its spending by 33%, thanks to lack of profitablility with the current extremely low prices.

Oil giant Dutch Royal Shell's stopped work on several of their Canadian projects until prices regain strength.

The major partners in the proposed $24 billion Fort Hills oil-sands project in northern Alberta - Petro-Canada, Teck Cominco and UTS Energy - announced they may defer a decision to build an upgrading refinery northeast of Edmonton.

The list goes on.

As I mentioned earlier, within months, precious deposits of oil - even locations that were set to come online within weeks - are now months behind.

Some are trading now for a 90% discount.

But ironically, these outfits just created a powerful, self-fulfilling prophecy... an unstoppable bottleneck guaranteed to launch oil prices - very soon - through the roof.

And it's already started.

Your Second Chance To Ride One Of The Most Profitable Bull Markets In History

Don't let oil's current low price fool you this time.

Thanks to an already guaranteed shortage -- just around the corner -- these low prices won't be around for long.

Here are just a few more of the critical points from their latest report:

Global oil demand is projected to expand 2.2% a year, on average, reaching 95.8 million barrels a day by 2012, up from 86.13 million barrels a day this year. The forecast is based on global economic growth of about 4.5% annually. Oil demand is expected to increase most rapidly in Asia and the Middle East.

OPEC, which supplies more than 40% of the world's daily oil needs, will have little spare capacity left by 2012.

Increases from non-OPEC oil producers and biofuel producers should start flagging after 2009.

Natural gas markets will also be tight because of inadequate supply increases, limiting the ability of consumers to switch between oil and natural gas.

And that's just the beginning of the coming bottleneck. Here's what CNN recently reported:

And very soon, when word of the shortage hits, the exact same scenario that the hurricanes caused will already have started unfolding... only this time, the gains will hit much, much faster.

The smart money's already placing their bets.

They're already preparing to collect a fortune!

And if you're prepared, as I'll show you, step by step, in just one moment, you'll soon find that many of the very same companies that surged before will rapidly once again start compounding your wealth.

And here's the kicker:

This time, they won't need nearly as much capital to get started! Most of their infrastructure is already ready to go - and they're trading for just pennies on the dollar.

And if you think that's a juicy opportunity, let me show you how you could...

Collect Twice The Gains Of NYMEX Oil Traders... with One Simple, Yet Little-known Play

Listen...

We know oil prices are about to skyrocket. We know they're just around the corner. And we know that those slick traders playing NYMEX futures - guys who need hundreds of thousands of dollars just to get started - somehow always come out ahead.

But here's what you might not know...

Very recently, we've uncovered a rare investment that could pay you gains just as astonishing as any jackpot oil resource company out there - but without the risk!

Here's how it works.

You see, this special investment, which most investors know absolutely nothing about, doesn't even follow oil producers or risky exploration companies... it strictly follows the physical oil market.

And get this:

Thanks to the unique nature of this investment, you can actually get paid double the gains that oil makes!

In other words, a 10% gain pays you 20%... 20% gain pays you 40%... 100% rise in oil prices pays you 200%

That means, if oil shoots 50% this year, which is our gross-underestimate, you double your money!

If oil shoots up to the $70 range... every $5,000 invested suddenly turns into a $10,000 payday!

With oil trading in the upper $30-range, this unique opportunity doesn't get any easier.

Just imagine how much money you'll be sitting on when oil prices plow through the $140 a barrel mark!

I'm not talking about several years down the line either. We could realistically find ourselves staring right down the throat of $100 before January... $140 by next April... even $200 a barrel by the end of 2010!

Every last detail is spelled out for you in our latest report. It's called, Hotter Gains Than NYMEX Traders Could Ever Make. And I want you to have it for FREE.

All you have to do is test out our top-performing trading advisory, The Pure Energy Trader.

But before I divulge all the details about how to get started collecting a fortune in this Bottleneck Bull-Market, let me introduce myself and my team...

Introducing... The Pure Energy Trader

My name is Brian Hicks.

I'm the president of the investment research company Angel Publishing Investment Research. I've spent my entire investment career, going on two decades now, uncovering the market's best moneymaking trends and showing investors like you how to profit from the most undervalued opportunities in the world.

I've taken investment junkets all over the world... to historic oil boomtowns like Desdemona, Texas, to the Powder River Basin in Wyoming to Kiev, Ukraine. We've been to the heart of the oil sands industry, Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada. I've been blown away by a wind park in Palm Springs, California. And I've seen first-hand the natural gas boom in the Barnett Shale.

My investment insights and ideas have landed me frequent spots on financial shows like CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox, CNN, Fox Business, and, most recently, C-SPAN... where I spoke on the energy markets and the U.S. dollar.

I'm not telling you this to be a showboat. But I want you to understand that it's this dedication and never-ending persistence that has allowed me to develop friendships and contacts with some of the best financial minds and industry insiders around the world.

And recently, it's allowed me to acquire a man who could easily be considered, with well over 1,153 successful trades under his belt, one of the best traders on the planet today.

His name is Ian Cooper.

And to get a better handle on why I cherry-picked Ian over any other research analyst out there, look no further than his track record...

120% on Royal Caribbean 

194.12% on QQQ

269.52% on On2 Technologies

270% on ONT

268% on CYD

206.33% on VTSS

246% on IPIX

233% on TLTCJ

515.38% on MQJSB

225% on ETGP

302.15% on ASTM

And that's just to name a few. Had I shown you all of his winning trades just for the past 2 years, it would be five pages long.

His off-the-charts accuracy for reliably reading the markets, matched with his winner-after-winner track record, have plastered his sought-after advice on the pages of numerous publications. He's filled columns from Investor's Business Daily all the way to Forbes.

He's also frequently appeared on investment shows such as Money Matters with Barry Armstrong and On the Money with Mike Stein.

In other words, Ian is the real deal.

In the past few months, I'm willing to bet that you've gained valuable wisdom just from Ian's dead-on articles in Wealth Daily or Energy and Capital.

He's spotted scores of blockbuster buy and hold opportunities. But it's his knack for finding rapid, explosive trades - just like the one that could pay you double the gains oil makes - that brought him to the Pure Energy Trader team. After all, he's constantly...

Picking The Best Trades... Trade After Trade

Since starting our hottest trading advisory, The Pure Energy Trader we've already initiated and closed 91 trades.

85% of them closed for massive gains! In fact, each trade - winners and losers - is averaging +24%.

In other words, you're more than doubling your money every four trades!

Even more amazing is that his tight-knit group of investors (of which I'll show you how to become a part of) only holds each one of these trades for about 24 days.

Sometimes it's a matter of hours.

That means, on average, you're doubling your money every four months!

I can't think of a single other investment opportunity on the planet that could deliver those gains... especially in today's unpredictable market.

And according to Ian, with energy prices about to launch sky-high, he's lining up more and more knock-em down winners that he's already set to alert you to the moment the time's right.

Now, I could go on all day detailing the fast-moving trades Ian has been making and the ones he can't wait to share with you soon. But here's what I want you to walk away with...

All of our winners have a couple of very important things in common...

They're all energy top stocks with enormous potential...

And they're all companies that our team of researchers closely follows on a daily basis.

And with a track record like that, even in today's market, investors are begging for more recommendations. Problem is for some investors, these recommendations, unlike the ones in many of our other services, aren't buy and holds, which may take up to three years to reach full value.

We're after the fast money. And with Ian following and executing the trades, the fast money is turning into the easy money.

And just to be clear...

"I just joined and the SPF puts are my very first trade using your services. Bought at 0.85 and it's now trading at 1.90... and 121% gain in 3 days... very nice." - NZ

No one is complaining at all about the track record for any of our buy and hold services. Nothing will ever change the fact that investors can make good, solid returns by maintaining a portfolio filled with top stocks we like for the long term.

But... the reality is you could make a lot more.

In some cases, over 300% more!

By not having a pure trading service - where we can get in and out quickly with 25 to 50 percent profits in just a few days - we're missing out on some easy money.

Just take a look at this scenario:

How Loosely Following Ian's Trading Research Turned $5,000 Into $58,913.14... In 6 Months

This is why you also need to be trading top stocks instead of strictly investing in "buy and holds." You see, with the right trades...

You don't need to start with a lot of money to make a fortune in the market... You don't need to have all your savings tied up in multiple investments for several years, either... You don't even need to find dozens of trades every year.

"You did a great job for me. Thank you very much. I made about $35,000 on IPIX but continue to hold on for another few weeks." - Nhan N.

In fact, all you needed to make more than 10-times your initial investment was to loosely follow seven of them.

Take the following scenario, for example:

On November 30th, 2007, Ian alerted his investors to an amazing situation in the solar market. A leading company, LDK Solar, announced the ground-breaking of their latest polysilicon plant - news of which, he knew would soon cause the share price to surge.

Because of his timely alert, his traders secured an entry price of $29.55.

And just five days later, on December 5th, he recommended they sell half of their position for a 49% gain. Two days later, the other half sold for a 41% gain - turning an initial stake of $5,000 into $7,250.

Then, just 12 days later, on December 19th, he showed them another explosive opportunity: An options call on China Sunergy, after news of an amazing deal struck with a German manufacturing company. 

Much like with LDK, readers took gains of 204% on the first half of their shares within six trading days. The second half claimed 141% after six more.

Suddenly, their $7,250 compounded into $19,756. It didn't end there, either.

On February 19th, 2008, he struck gold again. He alerted readers to what Ian called a "no brainer" with U.S. Natural Gas.

Like clockwork, two weeks later, his readers were sitting on an easy 80% gain as the first half sold... 140% gains on the second half, just a week later.

Within three weeks, your $19,759 turned into $41,488.13.

And then, on April 22nd, they were alerted to one of the many tiny oil and gas companies flocking to the riches within the Bakken oil formation.

Three weeks later, on May 15th, these hit-and-run traders sold their shares for an incredible 42% gain.

Today, that initial $5,000 investment - using just those seven alerts and reinvesting profits - is now worth $58,913.14! $10,000 would be $117,826.30 - all within six months!

That's the rapid-fire power trading offers you.

And I haven't even accounted for taking gains from the multiple other trades that Ian issued to his readers during that time... gains like 33% from Hoku Scientific in five days... 119% from Cree Inc. in six days... 118% from PetroQuest in 15 days... to name a few

Just imagine how quickly you can compound your wealth with gains that large - gains that fast - again and again.

That's the sort of hit-and-run excitement you should expect by joining Pure Energy Trader. You can make a fortune from several rapid trades.

You see, when you sign onto Pure Energy Trader, you're enrolling into...

An Exclusive Trader's Club Unlike Any Other

Unfortunately, the number of investors who can sign up for our Pure Energy Trader is strictly limited.

In order to make sure every one of our subscribers has the ability to get maximum value out of each recommendation, membership will be strictly limited to 2,000 seats.

... most of which are already spoken for.

The first time we opened this window, nearly half of those seats were gobbled up by our premium, profit-hungry readers in the span of a weekend.

So it's important that you act quickly if you'd like to get in.

"I am doing great in about the two weeks I have been following your trades. So far I have made the following: LEN: 52%, HOV: 41%, SPF, 131.25%, XLF: 88.8%, IMB: 37% and TOL: 100%" - BS

You see, we don't want 5,000... 10,000 people buying the best stock. If we allowed an unlimited number to join, we could easily push the best stock up several hundred percent. That would be a disaster.

But if getting rich doesn't bother you, and you're ready to follow Ian as he shows you the secrets to landing dead-on hit and run trades in this market, I urge you to join right now.

Get Ready

Another point I want to discuss is how the trades will be delivered to you. The trades will be sent via e-mail. No Faxes. That's because we want everybody to receive the trade at approximately the same time.

And just so that you don't have to recheck your email 10 times a day, we're also offering Pure Energy Trader updated VIA live RSS feeds - so you can get the alerts the split second they're available!

If you're comfortable with what I've said so far, I urge you to consider joining.

Again, I know this style of trading isn't for everybody. But by signing up for the Pure Energy Trader, you're elevating yourself into the top tier of the trading community. If you have second thoughts on the price or the frequency of recommendations, stop reading now... the service isn't for you.

If you're interested, welcome aboard. Let's get to work.

Now Listen Carefully

When you fill out the membership form (assuming there are remaining slots), you'll immediately receive a confirmation and a welcome letter, as well as a link to the Pure Energy Trader site where you'll be able to access every single one of the trades Ian issues 24 hours a day. We'll give you full instructions.

And that's not all!

You'll also learn about a secret investment that actually pays double the gains of any oil futures trader. All those details are in your free report, Hotter Gains Than NYMEX Traders Could Ever Make - just for trying us out. 

Plus, by signing on today, I'll also rush you a free copy of my latest book, titled Profit From the Peak.

In short, Profit from the Peak is a roadmap that shows you how to profit from the rise of oil prices.

In the book, my colleague, Chris Nelder, and I go into full detail on tackling the world's energy problems... and how investors can maintain financial security in the process. I can say with confidence that Chris and I know a little more about today's energy markets than your average "oil expert."

You see, Chris is a well-regarded energy expert who has designed and built dozens of solar energy projects. This is a guy who understands the energy market inside and out... from energy's worst problems to its brightest solutions. And for the last decade, Chris and I have preached that investing is key to solving the world's energy challenges... Investments in a multitude of energy practices and technologies that will wean us away from our dependence on oil.

But we're also quick to point out that this blueprint for success also includes the economic harvesting of remaining and unconventional oil sources.

And again, in addition to full access to our web site, along with your free copy of Profit From the Peak, the moment a new trade is bought or sold you'll immediately be sent an email and, if you elect it, the RSS feed (We'll show you how to quickly and painlessly set up your RSS feed). The reason we're doing this is - we want everybody to be on equal footing. Our trades could arrive any time of the day, from 9am to 8pm.

So it's imperative you follow the instructions. This way you'll get the trade... and you'll have ample time to execute it.

By now, I'm sure you're wondering...

How Much Does Pure Energy Trader Cost?

Truth is, this level of service is highly specialized. And the countless hours it takes Ian to find, study, and recommend just one of the trades he uncovers - as you can imagine - takes a lot of time, expertise, and resources.

He doesn't draw top stocks from a hat. He's not paid by other companies to recommend one over the other. His secret is that he's an insomniac, sleeping just three hours a night.

The rest of the time, when other traders and researchers rest, spend time with their family, and take vacations, he's intently focusing on the latest news, studying the markets, and developing high-ranking contacts.

That is, however, precisely what it takes in order to hold a track record as clean as Ian's... a portfolio that scores investors like you the greatest energy trades the market has to offer.

Now, I've seen other "experts" billing themselves out for several thousand dollars a day - and their trading advice can't tread water next to the winners Ian shows you on a weekly basis.

That being said, I wouldn't feel the least big guilty for charging as high as $5,000 a year for a membership to his advisory.

But I'm not going to go anywhere near that.

In fact, the normal membership price is $1,500 a year.

Pure Energy Trader's Bottleneck Bull-Market Special Pricing

If you sign on to the Pure Energy Trader today, you can save a full 33%, and join for just $999 this year.

I know for many of you $999 is a big lump of money to take down, even considering that many of you have made hundreds of thousands of dollars following our advice.

So here's the deal. We're also offering a quarterly bill program. If you choose that method, you'll be charged $275 every three months.

It's as easy as we can make it to get you on board.

Please keep in mind - we're capping Pure Energy Trader at 2,000 investors.

In addition, we want to make sure you're 100% satisfied. So, if for any reason you're unhappy with Pure Energy Trader, you can get a full refund at any time before the end of the first month of your membership.

After that, the refund is prorated.

But you have to act now. We fully expect every last seat to be taken in the next few days!

So if you're committed to capturing the rebounding energy sector's biggest profits, please do so quickly.

The World's Most Profitable Gold Investment

The biggest gold rush in world history has just begun.

It will be remembered as the most profitable gold event... ever.

But this gold rush will be different than any of its predecessors.

It won't take place on a remote desert plateau... or in a frontier mountain range. And you don't need to be a grizzled prospector to get in on the action, I promise you.

No, the biggest gold rush in history is about to take place on Wall Street. And right now is the perfect time to act because...

We Have Just Entered the Final and Most Profitable Stage of the Gold Bull Market

During this stage, speculative mania buying will curve gold prices higher into a blistering parabolic spike.

And fortunately for us, a new investment vehicle is now available in the market...

...One that allows investors to retain the historic safety of gold and yield double the monthly profit!

It is without a doubt the world's most profitable gold investment, for reasons you'll understand shortly.

But before I get into this new gold vehicle, it's important to first understand why a rapid, near-vertical increase in gold prices is coming soon, and how...

Gold could go over $5,000 an ounce!

You see, to get an idea of what to expect in the future, we always look to the past.

During the great gold bull market of the 1970s, the average monthly gold price increased from under $35 to over $675 an ounce... representing a 1,833% gain.

If today's gold bull market makes similar moves forward, the average monthly gold price could skyrocket well past $5,000 an ounce.

Gold at $5,000 an ounce may seem like a stretch, especially considering the metal hasn't had too much strength over $1,000.

Nevertheless, $5,000 gold is absolutely possible. And it's very simple to understand once you know...

How a Gold Bull Market Works

It's simple. Every major gold bull market in modern history has consisted of three main stages:

1. Currency Deflation Stage
2. Investment Demand Stage
3. Mania Stage

During these three stages, gold prices typically rise in a parabolic upswing, which ultimately results in a sharp, skyrocketing price spike. (Take a look at the 1970s gold bull market chart above, as an example of this phenomenon.)

So far in today's gold bull market, we've seen evidence of the first two stages...

1. During the first stage of a gold bull market, prices increase because of currency devaluation.

In this bull market, a dramatic drop in the value of the U.S. dollar against other world currencies has lifted gold prices over the past 8 years. This devaluation is evident in the 42% drop of the U.S. Dollar Index between the summer of 2001 and spring 2008.

The U.S. dollar is expected to continue falling as the nation continues to dig itself deeper and deeper into debt, which will ultimately lead to inflation and result in higher gold prices.

2. In the second stage, gold prices continue to grow due to increasing investment demand.

Attracted by the modest gains of the first currency devaluation stage of the gold bull market, investors begin to buy gold as an investment, which further snowballs the price of gold higher. And with the introduction of the popular gold ETFs - and similar products - investment demand has had incredible strength since the beginning of this gold bull market, growing in terms of both tonnage and dollar demand.

The first and second stages of a gold bull market generally return considerable gains. In fact, gold prices in this bull market have increased as much as 306%.

3. But it's the third and final stage of a gold bull market that can turn everyday investors into instant millionaires. It's what I like to call...

Gold's Lucrative Final Act: The Mania Stage

There's no rush like a gold rush, and speculative mania buying can kindle an inferno of popular greed that rivals that of the Conquistador's legendary lust for gold.

During the third and final stage of a gold bull market, demand from a massive surge of gold investment finally turns gold's parabolic upswing into a blistering price spike.

We saw a similar price spike during the 1970s gold bull market when investment demand spiked gold prices over 200% in a matter of weeks... leaving a trail of nouveau-riche investors in the wake.

Make no mistake. The speculative mania investment stage is coming. And here's the proof...

Total world gold demand increased significantly during 2008 compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, total world gold supply continued to drop, leaving a deficit in the gold supply and demand market worth $6.74 trillion!

This kind supply/demand imbalance is typical during the final stage of a gold bull market. And driving this imbalance is investment demand.

The biggest source of growth in demand for gold, both last quarter and during the year as a whole, was investment.

World identifiable gold investment demand during 2008 increased over 64% compared to the previous year. See for yourself...

Increasing investment demand is key to the final stage of a gold bull market. In fact, it's surging investment demand that will ultimately lead to the coveted speculative mania buying stage and the peak of this gold bull market.

And now is a better time that ever because...

When it comes to safe haven investing, people immediately think about physical assets such as gold, silver, oil, land, real estate.

There is a reason for this: Physical things have intrinsic value. The value of a paper fiat currency, or a stock, can fall to zero. But the value of any physical asset can never fall to zero.

The intrinsic values of physical assets are the reasons why they preserve wealth during times of financial and economic crises.

As a result of the current financial meltdown, all investor classes - from massive central banks to gold bugs who buy bullion on eBay - are beginning to buy more gold at a faster rate than ever.

Gold is traditionally used for wealth preservation.

But fortunately for us, a new investment vehicle is now available in the market... one that allows investors to retain the historic safety of gold and yield double the monthly profit!

A Unique "Double Return" Gold Investment

Earlier this year, one of the world's leading international investment managers launched a new, one-of-a-kind investment vehicle designed to double the monthly return of gold prices.

Mind you, this investment has been all but ignored by media since its launch. Gold, after all, has never been understood or appreciated by the mainstream, despite its historic economic significance.

Let me explain how it works...

For every 1% increase in the price of gold, this new gold investment vehicle delivers a positive 2% return!

There's no investment club to join. You won't have to open a special account to get in on the action. It trades on the NYSE. Plus, it's completely liquid... and easy to add to any stock account you own right now.

Which is why I can't reinforce this notion enough... Now is time you want to be in gold!

The mania buying stage could skyrocket gold prices to previously unthinkable levels...

...Making this new gold investment vehicle a true 'no-brainer.'

How to Get Started Doubling Your Gold Profits

I've just finished putting the final touches on a new research report, "How to Double Your Gold Profits: The World's Only Investment Vehicle Yielding Double the Monthly Return of Gold Prices."

And for a brief time, I'm offering this report free.

All you have to do is take a risk-free trial of my Mining Speculator advisory.

Why Mining Speculator Is a Must-Buy in this Market

Mining Speculator isn't your normal investment advisory. It is, however, the definitive resource for investors seeking profits - and protection - in a gold and precious metals bull market with no end in sight.

It's where investors burned by the financial crisis are now turning... as a safe-haven alternative to the agenda-guided mainstream financial media. Truth is, in our Mining Speculator portfolio, we disqualify 99.9% of the gold, mining and precious metals plays out there. But when we're fully, 100% behind a company, you'll get the trade recommendation in a moment's notice. We tell you what to buy, when to sell, and when to hold... so you can enjoy the greatest gains possible.

And for as little as $25, you can begin receiving my Mining Speculator advisory, in addition to getting a free copy of my new special report, "How To Double Your Gold Profits: The World's Only Investment Vehicle Yielding Double the Monthly Return of Gold Prices."

In Mining Speculator, I tell you what to buy, when to sell, and when to hold... so you can enjoy the greatest gains in the easiest possible manner. In fact, during the precious metals bull market of 2001 - 2007, I gave subscribers an average return of 212% across all of my stock picks.

Once the gold bull market resumes, I plan to give my readers those same gains.

I cannot emphasize this enough. Gold should be a part of every investor's portfolio. And with this kind of offer, there's no reason not to buy gold right now.

 

HTC A296 is disgustingly ugly, fake

Chinese handset makers are getting worse with the day. Lately we've spotted their new "work" called HTC A296. Not surprisingly, this device (pictured above) has nothing to do with the famous Taiwan-based smartphone manufacturer. The "designers" behind the ultra-ugly phone only "borrowed" few lines from the HTC Diamond, yet decided to place the sliding numeric keypad between the navigational pad and screen. The end result is as ugly as one can get. Still, some of you may opt to grab it for $128 through Solomobi. If that's what you want, well, I don't know what to say ― don't email me when you have problems, k? [Via: Engadget Mobile] Related News from IntoMobile: A Chinese flip phone with WQVGA screen HTC S743 lands in US - Next generation hybrid keypad/keyboard handset arrives HTC patent application shows off unique dual-slider

Google Taiwan adds Android engineers to support Android-based product development Posted: 07 Mar 2009 03:45 AM PST Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has a new team in Taiwan, set to support handset makers in the country in the process of integrating Android on their devices. HTC is headquartered in Taiwan and providing them with additional "on site" technical support is never a bad thing in order to produce devices that work as best as possible. However, according to Google Taiwan's Chien Lee-feng, the search giant will help manufacturers support other products ― not just mobile phones ― as well. He mentioned netbooks and embedded systems! Android on a netbook is a great idea, and especially if it's powered by Snapdragon or some other similar CPU, it can have a promising future, don't you think? Anyway, it's very early to predict what will come out of Google Taiwan's Android office, but we're hoping to see more devices running Google's mobile OS this year. HTC are you reading this? [Via: DigiTimes] Related News from IntoMobile: Google Planning to Take Over the World… One Android-Powered Device at a Time Qualcomm's Snapdragon - gonna be big for netbooks… Android delayed to Q4 2008 and later

S60 5th Edition SDK 1.0 now available! Posted: 07 Mar 2009 03:37 AM PST Nokia has released the full version, 1.0, of the S60 5th Edition SDK (previously available was version 0.9). Available through Forum Nokia (NYSE: NOK), the new version adds support for keypad-off display in the emulator, additional languages, a start-up progress indicator for the emulator. In addition, a number of bugs, issues and deficiencies have been fixed, and many new plug-ins were made available. For the record, the SDK enables development in Symbian C++, Standard C/C++ (Open C/C++), Java (JME), Web Runtime (WRT) and Python (via a plug-in) for devices based on the S60 platform. It is based on Symbian OS 9.4 and includes documentation, API reference, emulator and associated development tools. IDE is not included, though you can work with Carbide.C++ for C++ developments; and/or NetBeans IDE 6.0, 6.1 and 6.5 or Eclipse 3.3.1 with EclipseME 1.7.7 and MTJ for Java development. More information is available on the Forum Nokia website. [Via: AllAboutSymbian] Related News from IntoMobile: Sony Ericsson joins the Eclipse community S60 3rd Edition SDK MR for Symbian OS, for C++ RIM announces BlackBerry JDE Plug-in for Eclipse

User interface galore: Gigabyte g-Smart S1200, Toshiba TG01, Sony Ericsson Idou and LG KM900 Arena Posted: 07 Mar 2009 03:17 AM PST Check what I've found on Vimeo - cool videos exploring UIs of 4 cool devices. Among the demos you're about to see are such popular devices as Gigabyte g-Smart S1200, Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) TG01, Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) Idou and LG KM900 Arena. First comes the g-Smart S1200, while the rest is following after the jump. Enjoy! [Via: GSMarena] Related News from IntoMobile: Video: Yet even more Sony Ericsson phone demos - G502, Z780, C702 and C902 Sony Ericsson booth tour from the Fira Barcelona Videos: More Sony Ericsson demos - C905, T700, W902 and W595

Gresso Lady Diamond phone comes in 8-unit limited edition; Costs $5,500! Posted: 07 Mar 2009 03:08 AM PST Super rich folks just got a new idea for the present for their special ladies. And special they gotta be, since the Gresso Lady Diamond costs a whooping $5,500! Only 8 of these ultra-luxurious devices will be produced, each one sporting "high-tech ceramic of Magenta Diamond color," 18-carat gold, genuine leather and 4 white diamonds that are used on the navigation keys. Moreover, the back of the device has that Gresso-standard transparent sapphire crystal cover. As for the specs ― in case anyone cares ― there's a 2-megapixel camera on board, GSM/GPRS connectivity, Bluetooth, music player, 2GB of on-board memory. Windows Mobile 6 Standard Edition is running the show. Finally, some of you may want care to know about the availability (or not) �the Gresso Lady Diamond is already available, though it seems you can grab it Russia, only. [Via: Unwired View] Related News from IntoMobile: Gresso's White Diamond Collection for uber-rich Mobiado unveils more luxury phones: Professional 105 EM Special Edition and 105 EM CLB Gresso's Avantgarde Skeleton Windows Mobile smartphone costs 4.000 EUR

Meizu M9 coming for CDMA and TD-SCDMA networks Posted: 07 Mar 2009 02:55 AM PST Meizu is looking into opportunity to introduce more devices for different market segments. More precisely, the company behind the world's famous iPhone clone is working on CDMA and TD-SCDMA versions of the device, which will be called M9c and M9t, respectively. Not much details are known at this stage, except that the M9 will use pretty much the same hardware as its predecessor - M8. Sadly, we expected some boost in the specs, but guess that will have to wait for some other chance. Moreover, it's not like we're able to buy these phones in the Western hemisphere, anyway… [Via: Engadget Mobile] Related News from IntoMobile: iRiver Wave coming to Korea in March 2009 LG KS660 with 3-inch touchscreen and two SIM card slots coming to China and Russia in February Willcom announced Sharp Advanced/W-ZERO3, the "X" smartphone

The Signal (IntoMobile Podcast: Episode 18) Posted: 06 Mar 2009 03:44 PM PST Is it just me, or are the a lot of phones catching on fire this week? Seriously, we've got Quickfire taken off shelves, the Bold is warming up, even the iPhone is on fire! Regardless, the biggest thing happening this week is the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) App World, but Will and I do chat about Motorola (NYSE: MOT), and how they're recession woes versus Nokia (NYSE: NOK). Two new phones, the Versa and 8 GB Renoir caught our eye as well, and generated some good discussion about design versus horsepower. There's plenty of other news items we didn't cover, but you can see the full link list after the jump. Hop on through for IntoMobile's Pyro Edition podcast… Music by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, as featured on Tap Tap Revenge for the iPhone. Filler by Krazy Baldhead. The Signal is a part of the Tech Podcasts Network. Download The Signal ( Episode 18 ) - iTunes - @LINK3@ - (25:48) Headlines BlackBerry App World Pricing Structure Revealed LG unveils LG Renoir 8GB Black Verizon LG Versa Now Available in Stores and Online Motorola co-CEO fesses to corporate blunders, looks to brighter future Nokia trades 1,000 resignations for severance packages Rumours Sprint Releases Leaked, Featuring Camera-Less BlackBerry 8350i Samsung s366 Coming to Rogers Before End of First Quarter Black HTC Magic Images Spotted on the Web First Snaps of the BlackBerry Niagara 9630 Emerge! Did Toshiba leak upcoming Windows Mobile flip-phone to the FCC? Remainder of HTC Lineup Specs Leaked Palm Treo Pro on Sprint Coming March 15th LG Viewty 2 Announcement Soon? Sprint LG Rumor 2 leaked, looks pretty much the same as the original device HTC Maple Looks Conspicuously BlackBerryish Samsung Instinct Mini Passes FCC Expansys shows Nokia N97, HTC Touch Diamond2 release dates, pricing Nokia E55 spotted in Red! Releases Low-end Samsung r211 lands on Cricket Wireless LG GD330, GB125 coming to Russia Alltel's Palm Treo Pro now available online BlackBerry 8230 Pearl Flip goes official on Telus website! Motorola ZN300 Quietly Goes Public Sanyo SCP-2700 Headed to Sprint? Mio Announces Navigation-Oriented K70 Samsung Propel and Gravity Now Available at Rogers Sony Ericsson W595 gets a Cosmopolitan Flower edition Samsung S3500 gets all official in Russia ASUS Announces Wi-Fi Hosting P835 BlackBerry 8900 Released in Spain on Orange Related News from IntoMobile: The Signal (IntoMobile Podcast: Episode 4) The Signal (IntoMobile Podcast: Episode The Signal (IntoMobile Podcast: Episode 15) This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

UK: T-Mobile G1 accounts for 20% of contract sales Posted: 06 Mar 2009 03:01 PM PST According to ZDNet.co.uk, T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)'s G1 now accounts for 20% of contract sales! Wow! This nugget of information was revealed when the Operator announced it's financial results recently. The results also showed a 3% drop in T-Mobile's customer base, to 16.8m - of these, 12.7m are Prepay customers. Mobile broadband shot up by 250%! Of course, T-Mobile's exclusivity in the UK with Android will be coming to an end relatively soon, as Vodafone (NYSE: VOD)'s "Magic" is due sometime around spring. We'll see what effect that has on T-Mobile's next set of numbers - although I'd imagine there will be several more "uber-devices" by then!! [Via: ZDNet.co.uk] Related News from IntoMobile: Vodafone Announces Android-Powered HTC Magic Sony Ericsson K850i now available on Vodafone UK; Nokia N81, 6500 classic coming soon T-Mobile adds 3G footprint to network coverage map

UK: T-Mobile boosting its HSPA Posted: 06 Mar 2009 02:55 PM PST According to ISPReview, T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) has hinted that it will upgrade it's HSPA network speed to a downstream of 14.4Mbps. Of course, this is the quickest that "vanilla HSPA", but HSPA+ is lurking round the corner, and in trials is hitting speeds around 20Mbps. After that, we are starting to talk LTE, a.k.a. 4G! As per usual, Mobile Broadband is going to be one of the big drivers here, eradicating slowly the point of WiFi hotspots - at this rate, Broadband dongles and contracts are going to be so cheap it's just going to become another utility…. Well roll on the HSPA+ wars between UK Operators - let's see who can go fastest! [Via: ISPReview] Related News from IntoMobile: UK: Vodafone outreaches mobile broadband network 3G USB dongles to kill off WiFi? UK: Mobile OpCos to keep 3G licenses, strings attached

Orange: Retro phone hunt! Posted: 06 Mar 2009 02:44 PM PST Orange's "The Feed" Blog is always a good place to hit up if you fancy a bit of a read - alongside our very own IntoMobile of course! A recent post on there invited readers to hunt down their old phones, and post up about what they find! Suffice to say there are some great comments on there for some classic (in many ways) phones! BTW, for all you Phone-reconition geeks out there, the pic is of the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 7110 - NOT the phone in the Matrix film, as many people seemed to think [Via: The Feed] Related News from IntoMobile: Duck Hunt Removed From the App Store at Nintendo's Request VOX for S60: A baby step in the right direction Nokia Chat: Location based micro blogging with chat built in, I think

The state of the wireless industry - by the father of the Mobile phone Posted: 06 Mar 2009 02:36 PM PST At a recent conference (the Embedded Systems Conference in Boston), someone called Dr. Martin Cooper picked on five problems with the wireless industry. Interesting enough you might think, but this chap invented the Mobile Phone!! Below are the five problems he picks on, courtesy of CrunchGear. Dr. Cooper also suggested some solutions, but for those I am going to suggest you follow the link to CrunchGear, who have eloquently described them. It's not everday you get to see things clearly laid out by someone so key to the development of the industry, so it's worth a read! 1. Most cell phone conversations are held indoors, yet all the base stations and towers are located outdoors. 2. The Internet proved that an open network will invite a myriad of applications to serve the needs of just about everyone, yet the wireless industry still clings to the "walled garden" idea of closed networks and development. 3. The idea behind efficient wireless signal transmission is to deliver radio frequency energy to specific individuals at the time each individual's device needs to transmit or receive information, yet wireless signals are constantly broadcast every which way, in all directions, which is a really inefficient way to connect. 4. Phones are primarily used (70% of the time) to talk and listen, secondarily for text messages (which use small bandwidth), and tertiary for e-mail (which uses small to medium bandwidth), yet we, as consumers, get constantly bombarded with marketing for expensive high speed data services that people don't use all that often. 5. When purchasing devices, consumers are persuaded that they are getting something for nothing and then urged to throw their old devices away. Follow this link to the CrunchGear article. [Via: CrunchGear] Related News from IntoMobile: Nokia N95 shrank then cloned Smartphone Enterprise Solutions Conference at CTIA WIRELESS 2007 Haier dual SIM Windows Mobile smartphone coming to the US?

More Mobile Learning - by GlobalEnglish Posted: 06 Mar 2009 02:22 PM PST Following on from the post I wrote about the BBC World Service and its Mobile learning service (here), it's good to see that other learning providers are also leveraging the power of the Mobile (and MP3 players….). GlobalEnglish has developed a mobile feature � the Mobile Learning Network � for its online business English training system. Professionals can take their English instruction with them on the plane, train or bus � using the convenience of any MP3 devise. As more and more companies go global and feel pressure within new markets, GlobalEnglish provides training software that builds competitive advantage: One surveyed company gained 25,000 days of productive work in one year Another company saw an average of 3.5 hours of increased productivity PER worker after the program Still another company cited $2.2 million in hard cost savings over a 3 year period of using the program Online language training costs 90% less than traditional classroom instruction The 15 to 20 minute audio and visual podcasts align with GlobalEnglish's online software. The podcasts deal with a variety of real-world scenarios and help listeners advance their English comprehension skills. Well it all sounds good to me - only problem is I am looking to learn Spanish at the moment! [Via: globalenglish.com] Related News from IntoMobile: Urban Planet mobilizes English language learning Nokia launches WidSets, Mobiledu in China BBC World Service Trust uses Ericsson to do Mobile learning in Bangladesh

Mobile Data Infrastructure Market to See Sharp Decline in 09 Posted: 06 Mar 2009 02:06 PM PST The mobile data infrastructure market is forecast to experience a double digit decline in revenues in 2009 according to a recent study by IMS Research. Mobile WiMAX may be hardest hit as credit markets dry up, jeopardizing many of the smaller pure WiMAX vendors' most important customers. Coincidentally, this economic downturn comes at a time when many operators are outlining their plans to either upgrade their existing 3G networks or migrate to next generation networks. Before the economic crash, many thought 2009 would be a year defined by aggressive expansion of mobile data networks and large investments in 4G. Although the IMS Research report, "Mobile Broadband: 4G Network Evolution" forecasts a slowdown in 2009, a quick recovery is expected in 2010 on the heels of widespread 3G upgrades and next generation network investments. Other report findings include: Installed base of mobile data users is forecast to remain relatively insulated from the economic downturn and achieve steady growth throughout the forecast period Upgradeable base stations will accelerate the adoption of next generation network infrastructure equipment Chinese infrastructure vendors are expected to increase their market share over the forecast period Total mobile data infrastructure market is expected to be worth between $30-35 billion by 2013 Mobile Broadband: 4G Network Evolution also provides detailed shipment analysis of mobile data infrastructure equipment including transceivers, base stations and BSC/RNCs along with the associated revenues and forecasts through 2013. In addition, the report contains subscriber forecasts for EDGE, HSPA, EV-DO Rev. X, TD-SCDMA, mobile WiMAX and LTE. You can get more info on the report here. [Via: IMS Research] Related News from IntoMobile: Juniper Research: Mobile WiMAX to reach 80m subscribers within 5 years Clearwire WiMAX infrastructure expansion hung up on funds-shortage Taiwan Mobile plans 3G equipment order from Nokia

UK: T-Mobile G1 gets software update: people not happy Posted: 06 Mar 2009 02:01 PM PST Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Android blog site Androinica has an interesting UK-related story this week. Apparently the RC9 update that has begun rolling out for UK is lacking a stack of stuff, including: "voice search, latitude, any MSN/AOL/Yahoo chat options, and … paid applications". Checking out the comments also that follow the post it's possible to see that UK users are confirming the intial suspicions. Worse, it would appear that other regions have still further differing functionality. Suffice to say the sentiment towards the exclusive operator for the device, T-Mobile (NYSE: DT), really isn't very positive either! But that's the thing with super hi-tech devices - the plethora of potential options that could/should/would be on the device differ between people, and when some features don't make it, then it can really get peoples' ire…! All that said, differing functionality across regions isn't really acceptable in my view. Let's see how this one plays out - I'm sure we'll see more commentary surfacing on the InterWeb over the next month or so! [Via: androinica] Related News from IntoMobile: Babies and Mobiles part 4: quick-learners! Mobile TV "distant dream" in India, says OnMobile CEO Touchscreen Touchscreen Touchscreen!

The O2 Joggler: five-minute fiddle! Posted: 06 Mar 2009 01:31 PM PST Being lucky enough to be asked to go along to O2 (NYSE: TEF)'s launch, I've had the opportunity to play with the Joggler. As those of you know that follow the "five-minute fiddle" review series, I also like to give initial thoughts on a device, when I've only had five or so minutes to try it out. On this occasion I had the benefit of two O2 bods, Nick and JP (thanks guys!), to give me a bit of a guided tour of the device, so I can give you an enhanced fiddle report (whatever that is!): * Concept - I like it. A lot. They've taken the photo frame form factor, which most people know and accept, and added a TON of functionality. I was given a digital photo frame last year, and returned it because it didn't do enough - however, the Joggler is right in the sweet-spot of device usefulness for me * Touchscreen - really very good indeed - responsive, and capacitive-based (which means no play in the screen, it's a hard surface). UI responsiveness good based on text input and icon selection * Size/Weight - well it sits on a flat surface so weight isn't critical, but size is perfect * Hardware - it's basically a netbook without the keyboard, but with a touchscreen added. WiFi or Wired Ethernet connection gives it connectivity. It's mains powered, but then again it needs to be, what with lighting that giant screen and staying on a WiFi network (both notorious power sappers!) * Calendar - clear, neat, and concise. Probably my only negative of the device, it doesn't sync with Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Calendar (yet). However we are promised OTA software updates, so that could well change * Multimedia - handles audio, images, and video. Apparently AAC audio format not supported, but again that could easily change in time with a software update. 1GB internal memory isn't huge, but USB port on side of device allows to expand memory So in summary this device is really good - I'd highly advise going and trying it out - because it's connected to WiFi, you are just using your home broadband for the network connectivity. The promised features of Internet Radio and messaging only add weight to it's usefulness, and the mixture of features is well balanced! Well Done O2! Grade: A- (a couple of minor tweaks and it will be an A+!) Related News from IntoMobile: New device: The O2 Joggler Grundig B700 - another Linux smartphone Beautiful Sony Ericsson M600i

New device: The O2 Joggler Posted: 06 Mar 2009 01:15 PM PST O2 (NYSE: TEF) has announced the O2 Joggler, a first-of-its-kind device which will transform the way families manage their busy lives. Taking the place of all the notes traditionally placed on the fridge door, the O2 Joggler is always on and can be used by the entire family. It sends text message reminders which mean every family member will know who needs to be where by when. The O2 Joggler launches in early April. The O2 Joggler has been built on the insight that family life is hectic and can be difficult to manage. Appointments, birthdays, school runs, work deadlines and more can all be stored on the O2 Joggler's calendar, which will text handy reminders to family members' O2 mobile phones. The digital evolution of the traditional family wall calendar, the O2 Joggler is a sleek 7" touchscreen device for the household that keeps the whole family connected. Ideally placed in the kitchen or the living room, O2 Joggler sits at the heart of the family home and is available to customers on all UK networks*. It connects to your home Broadband either wirelessly or using an ethernet cable. There is no in-built SIM and therefore no ongoing costs or monthly subscription. Play music, watch videos, catch-up on breaking news The O2 Joggler is much more than an electronic calendar. It features a wide range of additional features for the whole family, including: Weather � never get caught out in the rain again with updates from Sky News Weather. The O2 Joggler provides a four-day forecast from 60 UK towns as well as most other cities across the world, useful for checking the weather before a holiday. Traffic � get the latest traffic black spot updates from Trafficmaster including the average speed of traffic on major roads**. O2 Joggler remembers the last place that was looked at and centres its traffic information around this location. News and sports ­� catch the latest headlines from Sky News and Sky Sports. Headlines are refreshed throughout the day, making it useful for checking scores and headlines without any hassle. Photos � The O2 Joggler can also be used as a digital photo frame. Up to 200 photos can be stored on the internal 1GB memory or through an external USB memory. Music/ Video � play up to 100 songs or videos stored on the device memory using the O2 Joggler's built-in speakers, or stream it through a home PC.*** Games � customers can test their brain skills with a game of Sudoku. And if they need to pop out and pick up the kids, they just touch-save and carry on playing later. More games will be coming soon. Tools � use the O2 Joggler as an alarm clock or calculator. Coming soon Messaging � The O2 Joggler will let customers send 50 text messages every month to any mobile in the UK for free. It will also be possible to send texts to the O2 Joggler from any UK mobile Radio � A wide array of pre-set internet radio stations will soon be available to listen to. As new applications and content become available, they will be sent directly to the O2 Joggler, ensuring it's always kept up to date. The O2 Joggler will be available from early April at O2 stores and from the O2 online shop at www.O2.co.uk, priced at £149.99, or free if taken instead of a handset at upgrade****. For more information, visit www.o2.co.uk/family *Text reminders will only be sent to O2 mobiles in the UK ** Traffic alerts for all A roads and Motorways in England, Scotland and Wales O2 Calendar The new electronic O2 Calendar is available both on the O2 Joggler and as a stand-alone, free service on the internet. It provides a simple and convenient way for families to better manage their lives and is available to anyone, regardless of network*. Appointments can be included on the O2 Calendar using the Web or via text message. Related News from IntoMobile: 10 Ways to make SMS text messages work for you! The O2 Joggler: five-minute fiddle! Orb Networks news: YouTube + partnership with 3

The O2: here comes Michael Jackson Posted: 06 Mar 2009 01:00 PM PST I always go on about what a Marketing coup "The O2 (NYSE: TEF)" was for Mobile Operator O2 - they get mentioned with every big act that comes through the venue, and suffice to say they don't come any bigger than this - MJ is coming soon! As the PR says: The King of Pop returns to reign over London this summer. Michael Jackson has announced today that he is returning to the stage for a historic 10 shows at The O2 arena performing in London for the last time. The King of Pop performs his greatest hits for the event of the summer, the concerts of 2009 and the decade's hottest gigs. This really is 'It'! One of the most eagerly awaited returns to the stage of all time, Michael Jackson has not played a series of concerts since he last toured 12 years ago. These dramatic shows promise an explosive return with a band of the highest calibre, state-of-the-art stage show and incredible surprise support acts. "I am coming to London to play the songs my fans want to hear." - Michael Jackson Opening with 10 nights at The O2 arena on 8 July. Ticket price £75 / £65 / £50 + booking fees. Starting today visit www.MichaelJacksonLive.com or text 'MJ' to 81707 for your chance to join the presale. Text costs 10p to 12p dependent on network. UK only. Tickets go on sale to the public at 7am Friday, 13 March. Related News from IntoMobile: LG Claims 1 Million Arena Preorders IBC 2008 is coming soon… BBC "In Concert" goes mobile in Europe

Palm Investor Banking on First-Gen iPhone Fallout Posted: 06 Mar 2009 01:00 PM PST Elevation Partners co-founder Roger McNamee is especially excited about Palm (NSDQ: PALM)'s launch window, and think a lot of iPhone users will make the jump to the new Pre. "You know the beautiful thing: June 29, 2009, is the two-year anniversary of the first shipment of the iPhone," McNamee said today in an interview in San Francisco. "Not one of those people will still be using an iPhone a month later. … Think about it ― If you bought the first iPhone, you bought it because you wanted the coolest product on the market. Your two-year contract has just expired. Look around. Tell me what they're going to buy." Nevermind the ones who swallowed the ETF and picked up the next gen iPhone at launch, will the floodgates really open as soon as those early adopters' contracts or up, or are they more likely to ugprade to the iPhone 3G? While I'm tempted to side with the Pre, folks who have their iPhones love them, and would probably be wary of switching to something where they wouldn't be able to keep using all of those apps they've bought through iTunes. We're also assuming Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) doesn't make another announcement before the summer rolls around, which, although possible doesn't seem entirely likely. What do you guys think: will expiring iPhone contracts be the lynchpin for the Pre's success? [via Bloomberg] Related News from IntoMobile: Apple iPhone update v1.1.1 not worth it? Downgrade to v1.0.2 - here's how Apple iPhone SDK downloaded 100,000 times! iPhone on Vodafone India by September?

eXpansys: HTC Touch Diamond2 Voucher Deal Posted: 06 Mar 2009 12:55 PM PST eXpansys got a great deal on the HTC Touch Diamond2 which I think IntoMobile readers might appreciate. Between the 4th of March and the 15th of April 2009, if you order your HTC Touch Diamond2 from eXpansys, they will give you £30 of eXpansys vouchers* to spend on their site! For those of you having goldfish memory, like me, the brand new HTC Touch Diamond2 Windows Mobile smartphone is the next generation of device in the HTC Touch Diamond range. Improving on the original, updates include a 5 mega-pixel camera, 512MB RAM and a microSD memory card slot. Click here to access the offer (* Important: 2 x £15 voucher codes will be issued to you via email no earlier than 14 days after the HTC Touch Diamond2 has been shipped to you. Terms and conditions apply - click here for further details on them) [Via: eXpansys] Related News from IntoMobile: Sprint HTC Touch Pro unboxing pics UK: Expansys Friday deals 5/12/08 HTC Touch Diamond and Touch Pro details for Sprint and Verizon

Mobile TV: at a critical point now? Posted: 06 Mar 2009 12:48 PM PST The N96 is a great handset for Mobile TV Mobile TV seems to have been bubbling away at a simmer for a number of years now. As early back as 2004, there was a lot of noise about how TV services could be offered.. As an early adopter myself, and working for device vendors and network operators, I got to try a lot of the services out there � right from 5 frames-per-second GPRS streaming, through to the newer broadcast variants such as MediaFLO and DVB-H. The problem has never been with the TV service as such � it's widely accepted that most people would use it on a semi-regular basis, if the content and quality were good enough, and, if the PRICE were right. And that's really been the stumbling block for a while. Operators, or service providers, have been looking at the cost (both CAPEX and OPEX-wise) of deploying a Mobile TV infrastructure (including broadcast), and found it's hugely expensive. They have also been looking at the revenues they would get back, comparing TV services to those terrestrial/satellite/cable home services, and found that in many cases, the business model doesn't stack up. Even the oft-mooted Mobile Advertising can't fill the gap. So we have a weird stand-off, where Operators would considering deploying a service but largely won't because COSTS > PROFIT, at least for the short and medium-term. Sure, a few Operators have tried, but they have only served to prove the point for the others. Even those which are profitable, I would bet are not seeing major contribution to ARPU from Mobile TV. The handset vendors have occupied a strange position too � a number of notables have invested in providing the handsets (and continue to),  but the lack of choice (and relative high cost), mean that they haven't been able to shift volume units in many cases. It's been left to those with the bespoke engineering ability, or the scale of operations, to continue drip-feeding the market. Now that we have the global economic downturn, the idea of a (broadcast) Mobile TV network is even less attractive � Operators can't be seen to be spending something like $500m+ on network infrastructure for TV, when the revenue-generating upgrades to network tech such as 3.5G, HSPA+, and LTE are all available and waiting for roll-out. In this scenario, peoples' need to be connected, outweighs the need to be entertained. So what could happen? Well, I genuinely think that the next couple of years could be make-or-break for broadcast Mobile TV as we know it � the window of opportunity is decreasing, and soon we'll have high-bandwidth IP networks that can stream channels with multicasting and good quality. At that point, assuming wide network coverage, the need for broadcast technologies declines a great deal. And with the additional pressure on the economy that is existing, it might just encourage Operator to wait for the next big thing (4G?), missing that window altogether. If progressive-download/streaming services running on these networks continue to improve their user experience, we might even see today's Mobile broadcast TV completely eclipsed. Related News from IntoMobile: Motorola and Nokia to work together on Mobile TV Hong Kong: SmarTone chooses Ericsson for HSPA Mobile video set for growth; 46 million subscribers by 2010