Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse took a $3.25 million pay cut earlier this month, as penance for orchestrating the company’s pricey iPhone deal with Apple. Has outcry over the agreement — which will cost Sprint an estimated $15.5 billion over the next four years — soured him on it?

“We’re very happy with it,” Hesse said of Sprint’s deal with Apple, during the company’s annual shareholders meeting Tuesday. “Carrying the iPhone will be quite profitable.”

But not for a few years, at least.

By its own admission, Sprint won’t profit from the device until 2015. But according to Hesse, who was reelected to Sprint’s board during Tuesday’s proceedings, that initial heavy upfront investment in the iPhone is worthwhile because it will slow subscriber turnover and create a new segment of higher-value subscribers.

“We believe in the long term,” Hesse said. “And over time we will make more money on iPhone customers than we will on other customers.”

And there, it would seem, Hesse does have a point. Sprint sold 1.5 million iPhones in its first quarter, with about 44 percent of them going to new customers. And those sales helped spike Sprint’s average revenue per user 6.9 percent, the largest year-over-year increase ever charted in that metric in the U.S.

Sprint’s Hesse: We’ll Make Money on the iPhone … Eventually

With more than 25 000 free and pay applications listed on the Apple App Store, the kiosk for downloading programs for iPhone and iPod Touch is a success. Two U.S. companies, Greystripe and Admobis, have also managed to draw in and monetize via advertising in mobile applications for free download. some of the games with Advergaming (a mixture of advertising – advertising – and gaming – games -) are: Pro 21, Blackjack, Cookie Bonus Solitaire, Origami Rose, and Powerboat Racing. These games specialize in the monetization of iPhone games. Greystripe has recently claimed to have passed the 140 million games downloaded that incorporate mobile advertising managed internally.

As of today there have been 30 million Apple application downloads. 50% of these downloads are games on the iPhone. Interestingly, Greystripe has developed a specific version of flash to manage mobile advertising. This software has not been authorized by Apple to be integrated into its games available on the App Store.

For its part, Admobis, a self proclaimed mobile advertising network for iPhone, is larger with more than 1000 applications planning to launch soon. Admobis plans to introduce a new system of exchange between developers of commercials for Apple’s touch terminals. Developer volunteers may therefore incorporate a tag advertising in their application to invite app users to advertising partner sites. Admobis allows for an increase in visibility without investing in a major advertising campaign. Admob currently offers mobile advertising on nearly 7.2 million iPhone around the world.

The world is changing, Admobis and Greystripe provide businesses and developers a new and innovative way to generate revenue.

Apple – iPhone App Advertising Companies

Newer cellphone technology really is faster, according to tests of the major wireless carriers’ networks in Kansas City. and on that basis, Sprint Nextel Corp. is playing catch-up in its hometown.Overland Park-based Sprint had fared well in Kansas City tests last August conducted by RootMetrics of Bellevue, Wash. Sprint’s 4G phones running on WiMax technology posted faster download speeds than AT&T Inc. or Verizon Wireless devices on those firms’ 3G networks.since then, however, Sprint’s larger rivals both have launched their own 4G service in Kansas City using Long Term Evolution, or LTE, technology. Their data download speeds flew past Sprint’s, RootMetrics’ tests in Kansas City last month showed. Sprint plans to launch its LTE coverage in Kansas City at midyear.a statement from the company said its own and others’ testing show that “the Sprint network in Kansas City ranks as a very competitive Tier 1 network.”The company also noted its network upgrade under way will provide faster speeds and improve call quality. it will include the LTE launch as well as 3G improvementsVerizon earned RootMetrics’ recent top overall rating in Kansas City, followed closely by AT&T. Sprint, T-Mobile and Cricket, a service provided by Leap Wireless International, performed about the same overall. The broader measure looks at dropped and blocked calls and texting times in addition to data speeds.T-Mobile’s Kansas City service showed a higher call failure rate than the four others.Texting scores varied based on the number of seconds a text took to arrive at its targeted phone.In the 2011 Kansas City tests, AT&T and Sprint shared the top performance spot in Kansas City.

Sprint’s rivals now offer faster downloads in KC

I get this questions in various shapes and sizes, all the time. “How did we get the Bible we have today?” “How do we know that the Christian Bible is really God’s Word?” “Why are these particular writings in the Bible and not some of the other religiuos writings that come from the same time period?” Etc. There are great answers to all of those questions. In order to help you really get this, I need to explain a few terms and concepts, so hang with me on that. My hope is that you’ll find all of it very practical and helpful. And that by the end of the article you’ll say, “Okay, now I’ve got a decent grip on how we got our Bible” Ready? Okay, let’s dive into this thing

BASICS.
The Bible is a Book of books. Sixty-six of them to be exact Thirty-nine books make up the Old Testament and twenty-seven make up the New Testament. Sixty-six books, written by 40+ different authors, over a period of 1,500 years Containing over 300 prophecies about the Messiah (all of which Jesus fulfilled perfectly, a statistical miracle in and of itself). No other “sacred text” even comes close to being able to make a claim like this. It’s fantasitc You can clearly see God’s grace and plan of redemption in every single book Many scholars call this the “scarlet thread”—in reference to the blood of Jesus. You can see God’s plan to send Jesus as our Savior in EVERY BOOK But that’s another article.

REVELATION
The word “revelation” means to “reveal,” or “to make known.” The reason we know ANYTHING about God is NOT because we somehow “discovered” Him somewhere. but rather because He. on purpose. broke in and made Himself known to us. He “revealed” Himself to us. One of the ways He did this was by “inspiring” people to write down messages from Him. The word “inspire” literally means “God breathed”. this is why Paul says, “. all Scripture is ‘God breathed.’”

“TESTAMENTS”
The word “testament” means, “covenant”. and a “covenant” is, basically, an offering of relationship. The very best way I know to explain this is to illustrate the difference between a CONTRACT, and a COVENANT.

In a CONTRACT is not an offering of relationship. at all. offering services/products and getting reward/paid for them. When two parties sign a contract each party is looking out for themselves, i.e. If you were going to paint my house-we may sign a CONTRACT. The contract would clearly state that you would be paid “X” amount upon the completion of your work. It would also state that I would only have to pay you “X” amount once the work was finished to my satisfaction. See how that works? CONTRACTS exist to make sure people don’t get ripped off. in the example above-the contract assures that you get paid for your work. and it assures that I get satisfactory work for my pay. There’s not much need for love or relationship with a contract.

COVENANTS are different. Where contracts are “self-centered” (I want to make sure I get what I want out of this.), CONVENANTS are “OTHERS CENTERED” (I want to make sure you get what you want/need out of this.). Go back to the illustration of you painting my house. if we were to do it under a covenant agreement-it would go something like this — Your part would say, “I want to paint Brad’s house to bless him.” And my part would say, “I want to pay you to bless you.” That’s covenant. And that requires a certain amount of love, trust and commitment from each party. I have to trust you to do a good job. and you have to trust me to bless you with pay when you’re done with the job.

THE ULTIMATE EXAMPLE OF COVENANT. THE CROSS.
Before Jesus put on skin and lived among us and died for us on the cross. He DID NOT send out a survey crew to ask, “Okay. so how many of you are going to accept me as Savior after this? I need to know BEFORE I go through all this torture. I need to make sure I get out of this deal what I want.” No. Jesus didn’t do that did he? He simply came. laid down his life for us and said, “Now, whosoever will, come and receive.” THAT, is covenant.

And by the way-THAT is how God calls us to relate with each other
John 13:34-35 (NLT) “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you (i.e. in the same way that I have love you), you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

So, when we talk about the Old Testament-we’re talking about the group of writings that reveal the “old covenant”. the old offer of relationship God made with people through Israel. The Old Covenant was based on Law and Sacrifice. God revealed both of these (His Law and the Sacrificial System) through Moses-in the first five books of the Bible (Gen. – Deut., often referred to as “The Law). The rest of the Old Testament contains books of History (Joshua-Esther, the history of Israel and God’s work with them), Poetry (Job-Song of Solomon, sometimes called the “writings”), and the Prophets (Isa.-Malachi).. But the underlying theme in EVERY SINGLE book of the OT is-God loves us. he created us. he has revealed His Law (His standards/his heart). He has given us a way to walk with Him and to be forgiven when we screw up (Sacrifice). this is His offer of relationship with us. will you embrace it? Will you love and trust Him with all your heart? That’s the message of the OT.

The “books” of the OT were solidly agreed upon by the time Jesus arrived. Obviously they had all kinds of “extra” writings and teachings (traditions, etc.), but the books of LAW, HISTORY, POETY AND PROPHETS were the scriptures.

SIDE NOTE. What about the “apocrypha”" (the books Catholic Bibles have that Protestants do not recognize as Scripture)? I’ll address that at the end of this article.

THE NEW TESTAMENT
Remember, “testament” = “covenant” which = “God’s offer of relationship with us”.
The New Testament is all about JESUS. Jesus is the center of everything. He is THE sacrificial lamb of God-offered by God for our sins. He is THE High Priest who intercedes for us before God (do you see why reading/understanding the OT is important? The NT is based on it). The NT is all about God offering us relationship with himself through faith in Jesus-THAT is the underlying theme of EVERY SINGLE book of the NT

SO HOW DID WE SETTLE ON THE 27 BOOKS WE CALL THE New Testament?
It might freak you out to learn that the NT as we know it today-really wasn’t a totally done deal until somewhere around the 18th Century (1700s) That’s basically because The Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century stirred a lot of things up. but that’s another story.

DOES THAT MEAN THAT CHRISTIANS WHO LIVED BETWEEN THE 1st AND 18th CENTURIES WEREN’T SURE ABOUT WHAT WAS BIBLE AND WHAT WASN’T?

The short answer is NO.

From the moment that the apostles began to write, the First Century-Christians held their writing up as inspired, authoritative and of God. Whether they called them Scripture or not, I do not know, but for them it wasn’t an issue. All they knew was that Jesus, their Savior, was speaking to them through the writings of these apostles Most of the books of the NT were agreed upon, and viewed as inspired and authoritative by the middle of the 2nd Century.

CANON
Sometimes you’ll hear people speak of the “canon” of Scripture.. the word “canon” is simply a word that means “rule” or “standard”. So, the canon of Scripture is simply the list of books that meet certain standards of authenticity.

SIDE NOTE: Some critics of the church say, “Men put the bible together. people chose what books were included in the Bible and which ones didn’t. so you really can’t trust it.” Friends, God has always worked through people. that’s the way He works. what it all comes down to is this question: DO YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD IS BIG ENOUGH TO ENSURE THAT HIS REVEALED WORD WAS PRESERVED AND HANDED DOWN TO US or not? If you don’t think God can handle that. then you’ve got bigger issues than this article can deal with If you know God can handle that. then. no problem let’s move on.

THE HOME STRETCH. I.E. THE FINAL SECTION.
HOW WE GOT OUR NEW TESTAMENT

Finally, I want to share with you the STANDARDS the early church used to determine which books were Scripture and which ones were not (we’re focusing on the NT here). I think this will bless you.

FIVE GUIDING QUESTIONS
The early church prayerfully used five questions to guide them through the process of choosing the New Testament Books.

QUESTION ONE:
IS THIS BOOK APOSTOLIC?
Was it written by an Apostle (I.e. one of the 12?). Or, at the very least. is its message/teaching in harmony with the teaching of the original Apostles? A good example of a book that falls into this category is HEBREWS–we’re not certain who wrote it–some think Barnabas, some Paul. but no matter. it’s teaching is rock-solid and in perfect harmony with the Apostles teachings.

QUESTION TWO:
IS THE BOOK ROOTED IN THE FIRST CENTURY?

Does this book have direct connections to the people who walked and talked with Jesus? No NT Book was written latter than the 1st Century. All of them were written by first generation Christians.

QUESTION THREE:
IS THE BOOK ORTHODOX?
Is the book in harmony with the teaching of the original Apostles? This sounds like a repeat of QUESTION ONE. and I guess it sort of is. But the early church–guided by the Holy Spirit–believed that this was a very important issue. So do I by the way.

QUESTION FOUR:
IS THE BOOK UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED?
Do Christian Communities EVERYWHERE embrace this as genuine, inspired, authoritative and of God?
There were lots of writings that were “popular” in local areas, but were not universally accepted as Scripture.

QUESTION FIVE:
IS IT INSPIRED?
This question was sort of a combination of the other four. “Does the Holy Spirit speak to us as we read it?” Is it the real deal.. And is it held to be so by the whole church?

So, the early church leaders used those 5 questions to prayerfully discern what was Scripture and what wasn’t.

And I think they and the Holy Spirit together did an excellent job

WHAT ABOUT THE APPOCRYPHA?

The apocrypha is a name given to a group of books that Catholics hold as Scripture, but Protestants do not.

Now, you have to remember that up until the 16th Century (1500s) there was no Protestant church. there was only the Catholic Church. But when Martin Luther and the other Reformers came along all of that changed.

Protestant leaders, in general held less to the “traditions” of the Catholic Church, and they placed more emphasis on Scripture as the primary standard of a believer’s faith and practice. This heightened conviction and attitude toward Scripture caused them to reevaluate the “canon”. and as they applied the above 5 questions to what was then the Bible. they did not find the books of the Apocrypha.

Tobit
Judith
Wisdom
Ecclesiasticus
Baruch
First and Second Maccabees
Some additions to Esther and Daniel

.up to the test. and thus rejected them.

THERE’S NOTHING WRONG with reading any of these books. they can be interesting and informative. they just weren’t deemed “Scripture,” thus they aren’t “binding” on the (protestant) church.

So there ya go. The wonderful conclusion that becomes obvious as you study this topic is that God worked in every single step of the process. He inspired the writers to write. He worked in the hearts of His people (the church) so that they perceived and heard the Spirit speaking to them through these writings. He worked through the Church leaders over the years to guide them to a right understanding of which books should and should not be deemed “Scripture.” And today He works in our hearts as we read and study the Bible.

Pastor Brad is the pastor of Connections and Discipleship at First Church in Altoona, PA and a Christian Rock Musician. He is always excited to connect with new friends so please feel free to contact him any time You can do so through the websites below.

http://www.guitarjams.net

Pastor Brad's Christian Metal World

http://www.first4christ.com

First Church's home on the web

Plus smartphone installed base, more on Android fragmentation, web intents?, and more

A quick burst of 8 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team

Browsers and Apps in 2012 >> Tim Bray

It’s like this: The browser’s doomed, be­cause apps are the fu­ture. Wait! Apps are doomed be­cause HTML5 is the fu­ture. I see some­thing al­most every day say­ing one or the other. only it’s mostly wrong.

keep this in mind for a little lower down. Read Bray’s post first, though.

Web Intents – The next Wave of Web Apps >> Ido’s Blog

One of the greatest strengths of the web is that the the ease of linking allows innovative new apps to succeed without asking anyone else’s permission – but up until now that hasn’t applied to integrations between web apps. Web Intents is an emerging W3C specification inspired by Android’s Intents system that aims to solve the problems of communications.

Here are some slides that explain the main concepts from a pervious talk.

Fabulous idea. Android Intents is a great concept.

French privacy watchdog to quiz Google on policy change >> BBC News

France’s data protection watchdog has set up a meeting with Google to closely examine its controversial privacy policy.

The search giant consolidated 60 privacy policies into one single agreement in March. The EU expressed concern over the legality and impact of the change.

France’s information commission, the CNIL, said it was not yet “totally satisfied” with Google’s explanation of the amendments.

iPhone market share in the USA: 50% of Q1 sales >> Benedict Evans

Evans works for Enders Analysis. Here’s a little bit from his latest report:

Roughly 50% of all the smartphones sold in the USA in Q1 2012 were iPhones. This is very different to the global picture:

Android is outselling iPhone by more than 2:1 on a global basis. but in the USA, Apple is massively outselling Android. That has obvious implications for where (mainly US-based) developers should be placing their efforts.

State of the Appnation – a Year of Change and Growth in U.S. Smartphones >> Nielsen Wire

Roughly a year ago when we summarized the state of smartphones at the Appnation conference, less than 40% of mobile subscribers in the U.S. had smartphones. Today, one in two mobile subscribers has a smartphone and that figure is moving steadily upwards.

By most measures, it has been the year of the App once again, driven mostly by the rise of Android and iOS users who have more than doubled in a year and account for 88% of those who have downloaded an app in the past 30 days. in just a year, the average number of apps per smartphone has jumped 28%, from 32 apps to 41. not only is the 2012 smartphone owner downloading more apps, they are increasingly spending more time using them vs. using the mobile web — about 10% more than last year.

How Mark Zuckerberg Hacked the Valley >> Businessweek

Worth reading today, of all days.

Smartphone Market Shares after Q1 – It’s the digital jamboree year of smartphone bloodbath >> Tomi Ahonen

Ahonen isn’t very happy about what’s happening to Nokia. (He used to work there.) Also has calculations for smartphone installed base by platform, which puts Android top at 328m, then Symbian (299m) and iOS (178m) from a total of just over 1bn.

Not every problem with Android should be called “fragmentation” >> Phonearena

And, that leads us to the number one issue cited as a problem: developer support. Developers claim the platform is too troublesome because of device specific variations, but the reality is that it’s just that developers don’t think they make enough money to justify that work. This could be because of the single listing and therefore single purchase of apps [for both phones and tablets], but it’s really just a vicious cycle where developers don’t put enough support into the ecosystem, and so the ecosystem doesn’t support developers.

Isn’t it more likely that the developers evaluate the opportunity cost of each platform, and cut their cloth accordingly? If they don’t find it worthwhile to test, say, Temple Run on 1,000+ devices, that’s not their “fault”. It’s their rational judgement of investment return. If you can’t make money, you won’t spend money. It’s the classic bootstrap challenge of every ecosystem. (Thanks @beardyweirdy666 for the link.)

You can follow Guardian Technology’s linkbucket on Pinboard. To suggest a link, either add it below or tag it with @gdntech on the free Delicious service.

Charles ArthurJosh Hallidayguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. all rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Boot up: web v apps, Google v France, the iPhone sales puzzle, how Facebook hacked it and more

It’s summer, and for many Apple and gadget fans the world over, that means one thing; the release of the latest incarnation of the wildly popular Apple iPhone franchise. the 5th generation of the device is on the verge of being released, and as expected, there are numerous rumours surrounding the specs we can expect to see on the new iPhone 5.

Whilst the exact specs will not be available until the device is officially unveiled, commonsense would dictate some of the main features we could expect to see. Hardware wise, we can probably expect to see an improvement in the specs in nearly every category.

For example, the iPhone 4 sports a 5 megapixel camera, so logic would suggest that an 8 megapixel unit to better will grace the spec sheet of the iPhone 5. Additionally, improving upon the 720p video capture of the previous version, it is more than likely that Apple will up the video resolution to full 1080p HD, if they want to keep up with the competition, that is.

In terms of processing power, I would be very surprised if anything less than a dual-core unit was found under the hood. Nearly every major smartphone manufacturer is now including this next generation technology in their handsets, and if Apple has any chance of competing, they would need to include a dual-core processor of at least 1 GHz, or more than likely 1.2 GHz or greater.

In terms of the operating system, anything less than a complete overhaul of the latest version iOS 5 would be a surprise to many. the release of a new iPhone generally means a new operating system alongside it. whilst we can expect many changes, the general formula and ease of use we have got accustomed to is sure to remain in place, that is a major reason for its success, after all.

Naturally, we can also expect seamless integration into Apple’s multimedia ecosystem. iTunes, iPod and AppStore access are all guaranteed to be included, but we can probably expect improved integration within all three, taking advantage of the improved hardware on offer.

Since the release of the iPhone 4, we have not seen a better screen resolution hit the market. whilst the same resolution is sure to be used, it is possible that it may be on a larger screen. the majority of new smartphones are sporting a screen of 4 inches or bigger, so it it entirely possible that the 3.5 inch screen we have got used to on the iPhone range may be abandoned for a larger unit.

These are just some of the improvements we can expect, although nothing discussed in this article is set in stone. Logic would dictate though, that many of these changes are more than likely to be utilised. Apple has its work cut out if it wants to compete with the likes of HTC and Samsung. that said, Apple has left it rather late in the year to release the iPhone 5, some time after the new flagship handsets of many manufacturers have hit stores. This may have given Apple the advantage of being able to see what others have used, and then matched or improved upon this with the iPhone 5.

Whether any or all of the iPhone 5 rumours out there have any substance, one thing is for sure; sales of this device will boom and we can expect to see the massive queues at Apple stores worldwide upon its upcoming release.

What Can We Expect From The New Apple iPhone 5?

Who wouldn’t want to become an instant multi-millionaire? With the Mega Millions Jackpot now played in a dozen states in the country, legions of people are putting down the requisite $1 for a chance to take home the big pot of $12 million at the very least. A progressively higher jackpot prize is offered each time no one gets the winning number combination, and the increase is based on the number of people who buy the Mega Millions lottery ticket. The numbers tell their tale.

Based on records of people buying tickets to a drawing, 80% select quick picks, while the remaining 20% select their own numbers. In the history of winning draws, 50% of winners come from the first group, and the other 50% come from the latter group who make a select choice of numbers. This 50/50 chance of winning means that the 20% who choose their own numbers get to win 50% of the time. Wouldn’t it be great to belong to this group? Another statistic shows that 14 people have won the Mega Millions jackpot twice

These people have strategy and an exceptional system to winning the Mega Millions jackpot. Statistics play a great role in the choosing of the six winning number combination. For instance, you will need to know what hot number is drawn more often than not, what is the highest percentage of even numbers vis–vis odd numbers in the winning combination over time; which numbers are drawn the least often; which Mega Ball number comes up most of the time; what number combinations are the best choice, and the history of winning number combinations that have won several times through the years.

Knowing the statistics will give you a better chance and an upper hand. All you need to do is to follow the game each time and take note of each winning number combination. Reading up on statistical analyses on the Internet helps as well. It would help you get better odds and choose smarter number combinations for the Mega Millions Jackpot.

After each drawing, you can visit websites to the Mega Millions Jackpot that offer a history of statistics of the current winning number combination. This way, you can base your next combination on your analysis of these statistics. From here, you can find out which numbers are more likely to be drawn for the next jackpot, and which numbers are not. You may have a favored number combination which you use for each ticket, not knowing that these numbers are cold. Being systematic about the numbers to choose based on a set pattern is more likely to land you the Mega Millions Jackpot than if you simply choose numbers at random, or use the same set of favorite number combinations all the time.

You need to avoid betting numbers that represent your birthday, or any of your children’s ages. Low numbers fall in the one through 31 range and are usually heavily played. This means that if the winning number combination does land in the low number range, you will be sharing the jackpot with dozens of other people who may have bet the same numbers within this range. Always remember that following the number trend is important, and you will have the greatest chances of landing the winning number combination if you continue to track the trends.

Together with a positive attitude, smart strategy, and a proven system, you are likely to greatly increase your chance to win the Mega Millions Jackpot. Start today

Ready to learn Megamillions Jackpot secrets? Free digital course shows you a secret strategy on how to win thousands in the cash 6 lottery. Go to http://www.Pick6Winning.com to get the strategy today for FREE

Eau Claire, WI (PRWEB) July 27, 2010

CodeBlue announced today a strategic alliance with Empire Today, LLC, the largest specialty flooring retailer in the USA, in the service delivery of the recently announced CodeBlue Flooring program. This new alliance provides the insurance industry with a comprehensive flooring program that includes: appointment scheduling at the convenience of the home or business owner; in-home or in-office product selection; next day installation on over one hundred styles of Carpet and Flooring products; 24 to 48 hour claim resolution; and a guarantee of policyholder satisfaction.

CodeBlue Flooring combines CodeBlues property claim management expertise, with Empire Todays 50 years of flooring experience, to bring unprecedented speed, service and selection to policyholders in need of flooring for their home or business.

The trend towards third-party assistance and facilitation is growing as insurance carriers strive to meet increasing demands to provide better service, improve process efficiency and maintain financial accountability. Programs that efficiently manage high volume, low severity claims, such as flooring, to help insurance carriers to lower their overall severity and better manage the policyholder experience. The alliance between CodeBlue and Empire delivers a cost neutral service – at the convenience of the customer – that helps insurance carriers improve customer satisfaction and retention levels.

CodeBlue Flooring will fundamentally change the level of service that policyholders receive when experiencing a flooring loss, said Paul Gross, president and chief executive officer. Im delighted to find a partner with such a long record of achievement in delivering superior service to flooring customers. The ability of a homeowner to get a same day appointment and next day installation has really set Empire Today apart. We are excited about adding this capability to our offerings, and I am anxious for the opportunity to bring this to the entire insurance industry.

“We are very excited about this new alliance with CodeBlue and the opportunity to provide our quality carpet and flooring program to the insurance industry,” said Steve Silvers, chief executive officer for Empire Today. “A dedicated account team will address the specific flooring needs of insurance carriers and their policyholders through the delivery of our quality products and professional installation with the highest level of service.”

Any carrier interested in learning more about this novel approach to managing flooring claims should contact Jeff Holte, Vice President of Property Claim Services at 715-830-6316.

About CodeBlue
CodeBlue, LLC is a wholly owned division of Insurance Claims Management, Inc. The company supports a wide base of insurance clients with a 24/7/365 customer service center; assisting their policyholders when they have experienced a property loss as a result of water damage.

CodeBlues team of subject matter experts specializes in properly managing high frequency, low severity claims. Each of CodeBlues solutions has been created to deliver unparalleled customer service in a cost effective and efficient manner through active claim management. For more information visit http://www.hsgcodeblue.com

About Empire Today
Empire Today, LLC, also commonly known as Empire Carpet, has been a leading provider of installed home improvements and home furnishings for over 50 years. Empires line of quality, name-brand home products includes: Carpet, Hardwood, Laminate, Ceramic, Vinyl Flooring, and Window Treatments. The company provides, shop-at-home or business convenience, next day installation on many products, quality products at great prices, and world-class service to more than 35 major metropolitan areas in the United States. With over one million satisfied customers, Empire Today is dedicated to customer satisfaction. For more information, call 800-588-2300 or visit empiretoday.com.

http://prweb.com/printer/4308954.htm

• Facebook launched on the Nasdaq exchange in new York
• 80 million shares sold in first 30 seconds of trading
• But share price almost falls below $38 offer value
• Launch delayed amid confusion at Nasdaq
• Follow our Facebook shareholder wealth tracker here

1.42pm ET/6.42pm BST: if you haven’t checked out our live tracker of top Facebook shareholders’ wealth based on today’s fluctuations in the FB share price, you can have a look here.

1.22pm ET/6.22pm BST: Guardian tech editor Charles Arthur looks at what’s next for Facebook:

What to expect now? Don’t be surprised if the next big thing is a Facebook phone – running its own software and developed from top to bottom to involve you in the site all the time.

Zuckerberg’s team has been advised to do this directly, because it needs to reach the “next billion” internet users, and they are mainly going to be using mobile phones, not desktop or laptop computers. Selling its own phone would mean it could make itself the background hum of many peoples’ lives everywhere – and show adverts and collect data on its own terms.

Read Charles’ full analysis here.

1.16pm ET/6.16pm BST: Dominic Rushe checks in on the Internet gaming company Zynga, and what the poor performance of its stock today could mean for Facebook:

Facebook’s shares have recovered after dropping worryingly close to their $38 offer price. But over at Zynga there are still problems.

As we mentioned earlier, it looks likely that Facebook’s battalion of bankers moved to make sure FB didn’t drop below $38. Zynga had no such luck and was down more than 13% at one point. It’s now down nearly 6%.

Zynga is basically a way to trade Facebook, since nearly all of its business comes from the social network. so is this what FB’s share fall would look like if the bankers hadn’t piled in? just sayin’.

1.09pm ET/6.09pm BST: till death do us part – or your company doth go public. will the Facebook IPO cause a spike in shareholder divorces as new millionaires are created and relationships become more liquid, as it were? The Financial Times has a morbidly droll (and paywall-protected) report:

“When Google went public, there was a wave of divorces. When Cisco went public there was a wave of divorces,” says Steve Cone, a divorce attorney based in Palo Alto, near the social network’s Menlo Park headquarters. “I expect a similar wave shortly after Facebook goes public.”

12.55pm ET/5.55pm BST: Facebook staffers have flocked to the social network to bask in the post-IPO glow, the Guardian’s Josh Halliday reports.

Lindsey Cochran, who works in marketing at Facebook, writes: “I vividly remember signing up for facebook in the upstairs quad of 508 Thurston … in April of 2004. I can’t believe I am now going to be a part of such a historic moment. Feeling incredibly lucky!”

Gabe Hernandez, another staffer, says: “While I won’t be in any of the Facebook offices to celebrate today, I am wearing my hoodie in solidarity. Thanks everyone for making my job far from the last place I ever want to be. now stay focused and keep hacking!”

Meanwhile, Zuck has returned to his Facebook to note: “This is a pretty awesome hack.”

12.39pm ET/5.39pm BST: if you don’t own Facebook shares yet, are you currently missing an historic opportunity to get in on the ground level of a company that’s about to break all previous records for stock growth?

Warren Buffett apparently doesn’t think so. Here’s what the Oracle of Omaha has to say about IPOs in general:

It’s almost a mathematical impossibility to imagine that, out of the thousands of things for sale on a given day, the most attractively priced is the one being sold by a knowledgeable seller (company insiders) to a less-knowledgeable buyer (investors).

12.34pm ET/5.34pm BST: have underwriters stepped in to hold Facebook shares above $38?

Business Insider gets a look at the order book, sent in by Twitter user @Bourbon_Meyer.

“It strongly appears that there’s a huge perma-bid at $38 on Facebook,” Joe Weisenthal writes. “Check out the big mass of yellow on the left column… all those bids at $38.”

12.18pm ET/5.18pm BST: Facebook stock has been out of the gate for 50 minutes. After opening at just above $42 the stock dropped to the break-even level of $38. But instead of continuing to fall, the stock staged a resolute recovery:

So what happened? Here’s Dominic Rushe:

Facebook’s shares came dangerously close to falling below $38, the offer price, and have now rallied. this chart shows what happened. the speculation is that the underwriters have piled in and supported the price that we are chasing now. if it’s true, they can’t support the price forever and you can expect FB’s shares to fall next week.

But – and it’s a big but – there have clearly been problems with the IPO at Nasdaq, orders for shares were backed up and may have caused these weird price movements.

There are however signs that investors are underwhelmed. Zynga shares were suspended after they crashed this morning – not a good sign as the game firm is largely dependent on Facebook for its business.

12.03pm ET/5.03pm BST: One stock that really doesn’t like what it’s seeing in the Facebook IPO: Zynga, the Internet gaming company.

Zynga, which depends on Facebook for a platform for its games, had an underwhelming IPO of its own in December, when it fell 5 percent in its first day of trading.

So far today Zynga is down 13 percent.

UPDATE 12.07pm ET: Trading in Zynga shares has now been halted.

11.56am ET/4.56pm BST: A look back at the hot tech IPO of 20 years ago:

Celebrating Facebook IPO today while reflecting on AOL IPO 20 years ago. Valuation was $70 million. most thought Internet was a fad. #wrong

— Steve Case (@SteveCase) May 18, 2012

11.50am ET/4.50pm BST: as the Facebook share price settles back to $38, the Guardian’s Nils Pratley contributes his analysis of the pricing dynamics. if the stock goes too high, insiders who sold in advance of the IPO may resent the investment bank. A share price of around $41 would satisfy most everyone, Pratley writes:

A 10% pop should satisfy the IPO advisers. When you start getting to 20%-plus, the insiders who are selling feel short-changed and accuse the investment bank advisers of misjudging demand. 10% is ok – it meets the “leave something on the table for the next person” rule.

11.36am ET/4.36pm BST: how will Facebook shares perform in the first day of trading? Tell us what you think.

For extra credit, let us know in the comments what you think the high price and the low price of the day will be.

11.34am ET/4.34pm BST: how big is trader interest in Facebook? 82 million shares were traded in the first 30 seconds, according to Nasdaq.

The stock price is bumping along at the $40-$41 level. you can follow the stock price here.

11.30am ET/4.30pm BST: And they’re off. Facebook is now on sale – and the first shares cross at $42.05, a good deal higher than the $38/share rollout price.

For the time being, at least, the company has 100 billion reasons to cheer.

11.30am ET/4.30 pm BST: mark Zuckerberg and colleagues ringing the opening bell for Nasdaq at 9.30am ET.

Looks anticlimactic now.

11.27am ET/4.27pm BST: IPO delayed indefinitely by glitch in market: this isn’t the headline Facebook was looking for this morning.

Wow, Nasdaq found the only way possible to upstage the Facebook IPO.

— Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) May 18, 2012

11.23am ET/4.23pm BST: Nasdaq has announced that there has been a delay in the start of Facebook trading. We’re reaching out to sources at Nasdaq to find out more about the holdup.

The latest delay is the third or fourth of the morning. Nasdaq itself puts out time call information. Meaning the market itself is failing to predict when the market will go to work.

The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that traders are having problems changing or canceling their orders ahead of the Facebook IPO.

Will Zuckerberg have to change his status again?

11.02am ET/4.02pm BST: Reuters is reporting that the opening of trading has been pushed back a bit:

RT @ProducerMatthew: Reuters: Facebook IPO extended by additional 5 minutes, to trade at 11:05 AM ET – NASDAQ

— Anthony de Rosa (@AntDeRosa) May 18, 2012

10.46am ET/3.46pm BST: Facebook as a growing concern. whatever happens with the stock price today, the immense market draw of the company is plain to see in a chart tracking users, from about 300 million in March 2009 to 900 million today (blue is all Internet users worldwide; brown/gray is FB users):

10.42am ET/ 3.42pm BST: T-minus three minutes and counting: Nasdaq has just announced that trading in Facebook shares will begin at 10.45am ET.

10.37am ET/3.37pm BST: A major status update for the Facebook cofounder: as mark Zuckerberg rang the bell to open the Nasdaq exchange, his account automatically spread the news.

Zuckerberg tagged fellow executives Chris Cox, vice president of product; the chief finance officer David Ebersman; the vice president of finance Cipora Herman; and his trusted No 2, Sheryl Sandberg.

10.21am ET/3.21pm BST: Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin came in for a drubbing last week when it was revealed that he had disclaimed US citizenship in favor of residence in Singapore, which does not have a capital gains tax. Saverin responded to the criticism by saying that his move was not a tax dodge; he simply prefers Singapore.

Last night Saverin set the controversy aside to offer his former colleagues a hearty congratulations on his personal Facebook page. he misspelled his co-founder’s name – but it’s the thought that counts?

On the eve of the Facebook public float, 8-plus years in the making, I as co-founder wanted to look back and cherish Facebook’s early beginning. Congrats to everyone involved in the project from day one till today, and I especially wanted to congratulate mark Zukerberg [sic] on keeping tremendous stead-fast focus, however hard that was, on making the world a more open and connected place.

10.10am ET/3.10pm BST: Facebook is summoning great spectacle in its rollout this morning – but will the stock price hold up? When the excitement dies, will the company warrant its $104 billion valuation, and the $38 share price?

One main place investors locate value in Facebook is its potential power as an advertiser. With 900 million users and counting – and a potentially vast market in China still waiting to be tapped – Facebook has an unparalleled capacity to put ads in front of eyes.

But earlier this week, US auto manufacturer GM decided that those ads weren’t worth it, ending its Facebook campaign. the company had been spending $10 million a year to advertise on the site, but none of the reports measuring those ads’ profitability came back positive. the Economist spoke with Chris Perry, marketing chief for GM’s brand Chevrolet, who confirmed that “a routine marketing review concluded that the site delivered ‘insufficient’ results.

Companies still believe that Facebook is an indispensable tool for spreading buzz about new products, however:

That viewpoint was echoed by the senior media buyer at a major Detroit ad agency, who asked not to be identified by name because he is not authorised to discuss strategy with the press. Based on clicks-throughs alone, he says, Facebook “doesn’t pay off.” His agency’s approach is to use the service as part of broader social media campaigns.

9.40am: One take on the big offering.

Wocka! Wocka! twitter.com/dmataconis/sta…

— Doug Mataconis (@dmataconis) May 18, 2012

9.39am: the scene at Facebook HQ in Menlo Park in the run-up to the IPO. the company is valued at $104 billion as shares go on sale to the public.

9.36am ET/2.36pm BST: the Guardian’s Dominic Rushe has been talking to David Kirkpatrick, author of The Facebook Effect – the only book written so far with Facebook’s cooperation – and a man who has spent many many hours with mark Zuckerberg.

“His impact on the world will be as least as big as Bill Gates and probably already has been,” Kirkpatrick tells Rushe. “Like Gates I’m positive he is going to end up being one of the world’s great philanthropists. I believe he has a very strong social conscience.”

He says this will be a big day for Zuckerberg but that while the Facebook boss may party later, he’ll try to keep things as normal as possible once he has rung the bell.

Then the real work begins…

“I spoke to Peter Thiel [Silicon Valley investment legend and one of Facebook's early backers] and he said Facebook had this peculiar quality, it will either completely dominate or it will completely go away. I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon though.”

Fitzpatrick predicts that Zuckerberg could soon be the world’s richest man.

9.30am ET/2.30pm BST: mark Zuckerberg has just rung the bell opening the Nasdaq market. he did so from a stage at the company’s Menlo Park HQ. then he hugged COO Sheryl Sandberg. the stage is full of other FB execs, with a sea of employees all around. A boom camera is capturing the action in the cheering, waving crowd. Looks like Bonnaroo. “A Woodstock event,” someone on CNBC just called it.

9.28am ET/2.28pm BST: Hackathon Update. it turns out there was one Facebook face who declined to participate in last night’s ritual of camamaderie and computer fun. Zuckerberg apparently called it a night early in the evening, Josh Halliday reports. he went home to his girlfriend Cilla and their Hungarian sheepdog, Beast.

When you’re the boss you get to do that.

9.23am ET/2.23pm BST: CNBC, which is tracking the Facebook IPO, is reporting on the overnight “hackathon” at the company’s Menlo Park, California, campus. In the run-up to today’s big splash, employees spent the night at their place of work writing computer code, over-caffeinating and giving their eyes a little extra practice staring at computer screens. the event reflects the company’s youthful, creative, spontaneous, creative culture.

Employees ordered Chinese food and there was talk of them making a run to In-n-Out Burger, CNBC reports. how does the news change your bet on what Facebook stock will do today? Let us know in the comments.

9.13am ET/2.13pm BST: the delayed debut of Facebook stock this morning affords us time for a walk down memory lane… back to 2004, when FB chief mark Zuckerberg was still just a cocky college student bragging about his hacking exploits in instant messages to friends.

Those messages are now a matter of public record. The Guardian’s Josh Halliday writes:

Zuckerberg appears to confirm in one message that he secretly hacked into the website of the Harvard University newspaper, the Crimson, by guessing the emails and passwords of two people in the college database.

“So I want to read what they said about me before the article came out and after I complained,” he told a friend. “So I’m just like trying the email/passwords of everyone who put that they’re in the Crimson. I wonder if the school tracks stuff like that.”

In another message, Zuckerberg boasts about deactivating college students’ accounts on the internal Harvard social network, ConnectU. “I got bored so I started deactivating accounts on ConnectU haha,” the future cyber-grandee writes.

8.52am ET/1.52pm BST: Trading action on Facebook shares is not likely to commence until 10:30am ET at the earliest, as bankers work through the mechanics of the offer, market sources said.

8.30am ET/1.30pm BST: Mark Zuckerberg will ring the bell for the opening of the Nasdaq stock market at 9.30am as he kicks off a share sale that will value the company at $104bn.

We’ll be live blogging the day’s events here in new York, and you can see how the fortunes of Zuckerberg and the social network crew rise (or fall).

Not since Google’s initial public offering (IPO) has a share sale been as closely watched. It’s Super Bowl for social media: every commentator in the land has an opinion on whether the firm is really worth that sort of cash, and is lining up to share it.

At $104bn, Facebook is being valued at more than the combined value of Nike and Goldman Sachs. Last year Facebook had revenues of $3.7bn. Goldman’s were 10 times that.

But this is a company with massive potential. Facebook will have more than a billion people logging in to its service this year – that’s more than three times the populations of the US – and it hasn’t got started in China. nearly 400 million people log on six days a week. In the first three months of this year those people “liked” or commented on Facebook items 3.2bn times a day.

Google added a verb to the lexicon; Facebook redefined “friend” and “like”. now Zuckerberg has to find a way to make his social network live up to its massive promise.

8.30am ET/1.30pm BST: Mark Zuckerberg will ring the bell for the opening of the Nasdaq stock market at 9.30am as he kicks off a share sale that will value the company at $104bn.

We’ll be live blogging the day’s events here in new York, and you can see how the fortunes of Zuckerberg and the social network crew rise (or fall).

Not since Google’s initial public offering (IPO) has a share sale been as closely watched. It’s Super Bowl for social media: every commentator in the land has an opinion on whether the firm is really worth that sort of cash, and is lining up to share it.

At $104bn, Facebook is being valued at more than the combined value of Nike and Goldman Sachs. Last year Facebook had revenues of $3.7bn. Goldman’s were 10 times that.

But this is a company with massive potential. Facebook will have more than a billion people logging in to its service this year – that’s more than three times the populations of the US – and it hasn’t got started in China. nearly 400 million people log on six days a week. In the first three months of this year those people “liked” or commented on Facebook items 3.2bn times a day.

Google added a verb to the lexicon; Facebook redefined “friend” and “like”. now Zuckerberg has to find a way to make his social network live up to its massive promise.

• Facebook
• IPOs
• Mark Zuckerberg
• Stock markets
• United States
• Internet
• Social networking

Tom McCarthyDominic Rusheguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. all rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Facebook IPO: social network makes stock market debut – live blog

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