tv technology

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Facebook ownership lawsuit back before NY judge

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) ? A New York man's claim that he's entitled to half ownership of Facebook is again before a federal judge.

Legal arguments are scheduled in Buffalo Wednesday in Paul Ceglia's lawsuit against the social network site and its founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The Wellsville man claims he's got a Zuckerberg-signed contract from 2003 that proves his case. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Facebook says the claim is baseless.

On Wednesday, attorneys are expected to discuss whether Ceglia has complied with the judge's order to give Facebook lawyers all files, electronic items and documents relevant to his lawsuit. Facebook says key items are missing.

It will be the first court hearing for Ceglia's newest attorney, Dean Boland of Lakewood, Ohio. Lawyers from at least four other firms have left Ceglia's legal team without saying why.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2011-11-02-US-Facebook-Lawsuit-New-York/id-41dec9bbbd12418391178389cd15479a

reggie bush ufc 137 boston news black friday day light savings time matilda peyton hillis

92% Drive

There aren't all that many movies that I walk out of excited about. Don't get me wrong, I love movies and watching anything of some standard is possibly the most fun I have while my clothes are still on, but there are maybe three of four films a year, possibly less, that I actually come away from wondering if I can fit in another session right there and then. Drive is one of them: brutal, beautiful and brilliant. And I'm not just talking about Ryan Gosling. Drive follows the story of a part-time film stunt driver and part-time armed robbery getaway driver as his world suddenly gets turned upside down. In any great film there's a tough balance between style and substance. The good ones get it right. The bad ones don't. Nicolas Winding Refn walks a tough tightrope with Drive, intertwining a twisting mob story with an intoxicating film noir style. He walks it well though, making sure that the more surreal moments are lavished upon with style and mood while the realism is played completely straight; long lasting shots with minimalistic camera work helping to create a sense of reality in a stylised world. His camera work within the confines of a simple car is brilliant, making more inventive use of an enclosed space than would have been though possible. Despite the fact that a good deal of the film is in slow motion, it's used to great effect; highlighting situations and moments rather than slow-mo for the sake of it. But it's his confidence which is the most astonishing. Apart from a few cult hits, Refn's repertoire isn't as stellar as Drive would suggest. From the ice-cold opening scene, Refn is obviously not disposed to spelling anything out to anyone, continuing this tactic throughout the rest of the film. He relies instead on the subtle nuance of a character or a moment, trusting the audience to be patient through the moments they don't understand. The film also moves at a glacial pace at times taking an age while focussing on a moment or a feeling before moving like a bullet through the next scene. It's a challenging ask for the audience at times and can often prove disconcerting. It's this unhurried, unashamedly different pace which gives the film its power, as any moment could give way to an explosion of violence or devastation or, just as likely, nothing at all and keeps the audience guessing until the very last second. Refn continues this sense of unpredictability throughout the entire film, making any moment tense enough have you on the edge of your seat. Based on James Sallis' book, Hossein Amini's screenplay is a thing of minimalistic beauty. There are no enigmatic speeches or famous last cliches. Instead, we have a stripped back document of searing realism, relying on a word or phrase to convey an entire point of view. The Driver's sporadic speeches are made that much more poignant and rivetting by their absence throughout the rest of the film. Hours of lip-biting and googly-eyes is summed up in a phrase, volumes of emotion conveyed by a sentence, even at times a simple word. This precise writing style grounds the film when the more surreal moments threaten to take away from the movie's realism. Amini also shows an affinity for depth of character, with everyone on the screen being as intricate and complex as real life, especially with his main character. This complexity helps to inform and enhace both the direction and the performances of the film, creating a beautifully bleak environment for the film. Cliff Martinez's elctro score is quietly brilliant, underscoring the drama deftly with a sense of understated eeriness which permeates throughout the film. The standout piece, however, is College's "A Real Hero," which becomes the film's de facto theme song. It's a curious blend of electro-pop with an ethereal feel to it, paradoxically working perfectly with the movie. The piece's main refrain, "to be a real human being and a real hero," almost sums up the entire feeling of the film, as the Driver's journey eventually makes him into both these things were he never was before. Speaking of the Driver, we come to the film's coup de grace. I like to think of myself as pretty open-minded when it comes to performers, bar a few exceptions, but I never thought that Ryan Gosling had it in him. His performance as the Driver is so self-assured, so quietly confident, so inexplicably cool, it's impossible not to be amazed. He is incredibly restrained during the first half of the film, his emotions leaking out in almost imperceptible nuance with a small half-smile or a flicker of contempt on his face, and becomes even more powerful during the second half, his unshakable calm giving way to some raw emotion. But there is no Oscar-baiting breakdown, no scenery-chewing here; just a finely tuned inhabitance of an almost exclusively internal character. This is Gosling's career-defining performance and it, for lack of anything else, makes this film completely unmissable. But it's not just Gosling who

October 28, 2011

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/drive_2011/

st louis weather kryptos student loan forgiveness amy winehouse cause of death amy winehouse cause of death white witch white witch

Cain struggles to contain allegations fallout (tbo)

Share With Friends:

| Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/156442381?client_source=feed&format=rss

frances bean cobain bill gates michael lewis palin occupy wall street second time around bill gates steve jobs

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Witness: Jackson's doctor didn't follow protocol

LOS ANGELES?? Dr. Conrad Murray heard his own expert witness testify Monday that he wouldn't have accepted payment to do what Murray did for Michael Jackson ? administering a hospital anesthetic in the star's bedroom.

"I wouldn't even consider it," Dr. Paul White said. "It's something no amount of money could convince me to take on."

Video: Live video: Watch the trial as it happens (on this page)

The use of the drug propofol to treat Jackson's insomnia was "a complete off-label use of the drug," he said. White also acknowledged that the drug should never be given outside a medical facility because of the need for proper lifesaving equipment.

White, a highly regarded and now-retired anesthesiologist, is sometimes referred to as "the father of propofol" for his early research on the drug. But on Monday he was a less than respected figure, drawing criticism from the prosecutor and censure from the judge who threatened to fine him $1,000 for contempt of court.

White came under a bruising cross-examination by prosecutor David Walgren who attacked the expert's recent claim that Jackson caused his own death. Walgren questioned White's scientific calculations and noted he once led the defense to think Jackson drank an extra dose of propofol.

White acknowledged he had done no research on that theory when he posed it. A study later showed the theory to be unsupportable, he said.

While stopping short of blaming Murray for the singer's death, White blurted out during cross-examination that he believed Murray had loaded a syringe with the drug propofol and left it where Jackson could have gained access to it.

That scenario had not been offered before and it could explain how a groggy Jackson could have awakened from sedation, grabbed the syringe and injected the drug into his IV line.

Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor told White outside the jury's presence to stop trying to sneak in references to private conversations he had with Murray. The witness had suggested his opinions were partially based on what Murray told him, but those talks are not in evidence.

At one point Monday, White said he had been told by Murray that Jackson had his own stash of propofol beyond the hundreds of bottles of the drug that Murray had purchased and shipped to his girlfriend's apartment. Pastor warned White not to try to bring up the conversations or other excluded information again.

More Entertainment stories
1. Scariest movies are often those you see as a kid
  Our staff recalls the terror of films such as "Alien," "Poltergeist," and even Vincent Price's "The Tingler," some of which are films we saw at impressionable ages.
2. Cooper resurrects 'Donahue' on 'Anderson'
3. Best bets: All-star cast pulls 'Heist'
4. Hip-hop hurray! Fallon, JT offer 'History of Rap 3'
5. TV's undead battle: Zombies vs. vampires

"It's deliberate and I don't like it," Pastor said. "It's not going to happen again."

But by the end of the morning the judge said White had violated his order. Outside the jury's presence, he chastised the witness for telling the jurors at one point: "I'd like to talk to you about this but the judge told me I couldn't."

He said he considered that remark direct contempt of court but would allow White to explain at a contempt hearing on Nov. 16 before he imposes the $1,000 fine.

White was repeatedly questioned about the ways in which Murray had broken guidelines and rules governing the use of propofol. Walgren confronted the witness with excerpts from his own writings in textbooks which set down rules that Murray broke by administering the drug in Jackson's bedroom.

Story: Witness: Jackson gave himself fatal injection

Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, has acknowledged he was giving Jackson doses of the anesthetic propofol in the singer's bedroom as a sleep aid. He told police that he left Jackson's room for two minutes on June 25, 2009, and returned to find the pop superstar unresponsive.

White said in forming his opinions, he assumed Murray was out of the room much longer, making phone calls.

The retired anesthesiologist also said he would not leave the room if he were treating a patient who had indicated he liked to inject propofol into himself, as Murray claims that Jackson had told him.

"Have you ever administered propofol in someone's bedroom?" Walgren asked.

"No, I have not," White replied.

"Have you ever heard of someone doing that prior to this case?" the prosecutor asked.

"No, I have not," White responded.

Slideshow: Michael Jackson's changing looks (on this page)

White said he has been paid $11,000 for his work for the defense so far.

White's testimony has put him at odds with his colleague and longtime friend, Dr. Steven Shafer, who testified for the prosecutor. Shafer said White's self-administration theory is not supported by the evidence in the case, in his view, and he called the theory "crazy" during his testimony earlier this month.

White and Shafer were colleagues at Stanford University and conducted research on propofol before it was approved for use in U.S. operating rooms in 1989. Both help edit a leading anesthesia journal. Until White's retirement last year, both were practicing anesthesiologists.

Shafer may be called as a rebuttal witness later in the trial, which is now in its sixth week.

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45102680/ns/today-entertainment/

republican debate republican presidential candidates republican presidential candidates bet hip hop awards 2011 bet hip hop awards 2011 kraken kraken

LSU-Alabama: It's (almost) all about the defenses

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011 file photo, LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (7) is seen during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Kentucky in Baton Rouge, La. A person familiar with the decision says No. 1 LSU has suspended Mathieu, along with defensive back Therold Simon and running back Spencer Ware for this Saturday's home game against Auburn. The person told The Associated Press about the suspensions on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011, because they have not been announced. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower (30) returns an interception past Tennessee offensive lineman Dallas Thomas (71) during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

LSU head coach Les Miles shakes hands with defensive tackle Michael Brockers before the start of an NCAA college football game against Auburn in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Alabama head coach Nick Saban paces on the sideline during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Tennessee, Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011, in Tuscaloosa Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) ? LSU and Alabama's defenses seem to have it all: Talent, cool nicknames, star power and loads of speed.

Many say they're mirror images of each other ? twins but not identical. The two dominate with different styles; LSU starts with speed, Alabama with size.

The defenses ? Alabama led by Dont'a "Zeus" Hightower; LSU by Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu ? have propelled the top-ranked Tigers and the No. 2 Crimson Tide into Saturday's night clash of unbeatens.

"It's definitely going to come down to who's going to break whose will, whether we're going to break LSU's offense's will or whether they're going to break our offense's will," Hightower said. "It's definitely going to be a game of defenses."

Who has the edge is an open question.

CBS analyst Gary Danielson, who will be calling the game, said that over the last couple of years, the Tigers "stop the run against everybody." And those hefty linebackers Alabama coach Nick Saban has brought in can move, too.

"When Nick puts his recruiting group together for defense, he's not just choosing big, thick guys," Danielson said Tuesday. "He's choosing the big, thick guys who are the fastest. The more you watch them, the more you see that Hightower, (C.J.) Moseley and Upshaw cover a lot of space.

"I wish I could break down a big difference ... but every time I think one side has the advantage I look at the other side and they've got a guy just like it."

The players seem to agree; in fact, they have almost formed a mutual admiration society.

LSU offensive lineman T-Bob Hebert said he can only think of one defense to compare Alabama's to ? the one he faces in practice.

"I don't think we've played a defense this talented across the board," Hebert said. "They've got a lot of great players. The only defense that really matches up with them talent-wise is probably our defense, so it's going to be a battle."

Said Alabama tailback Trent Richardson: "It reminds me a lot of our defense. They love to hit people in the mouth, they don't back down from anybody. They don't do a lot of missed coverages, and they love to come at you. Their defensive line is tremendous up front."

Richardson said LSU's defensive linemen are strong enough to pull backs down with arm tackles, and as quick as any he's seen.

"I've seen a couple of times they just grab people and almost clothesline them, for real," he said.

One thing that is clear, both defenses have plenty of star power.

Alabama's secondary is loaded. The Tide line up a two-time All-America safety in Mark Barron and bookend shutdown cornerbacks Dre Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie.

"This is probably the best DBs we've been going against since I've been in college," LSU wide receiver Russell Shepherd said. "They probably have one of the best DB coaches in college of all-time in Nick Saban."

Alabama also boasts 260-plus pound linebackers in Hightower and Courtney Upshaw, the run-stopper and the edge rusher. Plus, a big three-man front led by noseguard Josh Chapman.

LSU is not only deep, but overall might be the quicker of the two squads.

The Tigers have speedy pass rushers on the ends with linemen like Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo in a front four that goes two deep across the board. On the back end, the Tigers have a secondary that might even one-up Alabama's, with playmaking stars Mathieu and Morris Claiborne flanking leading tacklers safeties Brandon Taylor and Eric Reid.

The depth on the front will make it harder for Alabama to go into its standard modus operandi of wearing down opposing defenses. The Tide has outscored opponents 176-22 in the second half.

"They have really four starters at defensive end," Alabama guard Barrett Jones said. "You can see at the end of the games they're just as fresh as they were at the beginning."

The game will boast three of the 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation's top defensive back ? Claiborne, Kirkpatrick and Barron. Mathieu, coming off a one-game suspension for a positive drug test, is a notable omission.

And both units are experienced. Alabama starts 10 upperclassmen. LSU has five atop the depth chart, plus sophomore stars like Mathieu, Reid and Montgomery.

Even on paper it's difficult to pick one unit over the other.

Statistically, Alabama has the edge ? but has only faced one Top 25 offense in Arkansas. The Tide is leading the nation in rush, pass efficiency, total and scoring defense. Alabama has given up only six offensive touchdowns all season while allowing 359 rushing yards through eight games.

LSU's defense also ranks in the top 5 in the major statistical categories. Though their stats are not as impressive as Alabama's, their opponents have been.

LSU's defense has definitely faced bigger tests, mainly because of nonconference games against No. 6 Oregon and No. 24 West Virginia. The Tide's opponents have average rankings of 87th in scoring offense and 95th in total offense; LSU's stand at 66th and 75th, respectively.

It's a rare college game when the offenses are both overshadowed.

"I haven't seen this much hype around two defenses," LSU safetyTaylor said. "The only one may be when the (Pittsburgh) Steelers and the (Baltimore) Ravens play. We want our defense to outplay their defense. That's our motivation."

Mingo, the Tigers standout defensive end, said "everybody's competing to be the best defense. They say they've got the best defense and we say we've got the best defense."

Saturday's night everyone will find out who really is the best.

___

AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in Baton Rouge, La., contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-11-01-T25-LSU-Alabama%20Defenses/id-83c4340bd98343828d7160fd8b0531ae

paz de la huerta julianna margulies dr oz kym johnson hakeem nicks hakeem nicks alpha lipoic acid

Can Kodak rescue itself with a patent bonanza?

ROCHESTER, N.Y.?? Picture this: Kodak ? the company that invented the first digital camera in 1975, and developed the photo technology inside most cellphones and digital devices ? is in the midst of the worst crisis in its 131-year history.

Now, caught between ruin and revival, Eastman Kodak Co. is reaching ever more deeply into its intellectual treasure chest, betting that a big cash infusion from the sale of 1,100 digital-imaging inventions will see it through a transition that has raised the specter of bankruptcy.

Kodak popularized photography over a century ago. It marketed the world's first flexible roll film in 1888 and transformed picture-taking into a mass commodity with the $1 Brownie camera in 1900. But for too long the world's biggest film manufacturer stayed firmly focused on its 20th-century cash cow, and failed to capitalize quickly on its new-wave know-how in digital photography.

As a result, Kodak has been playing catch-up. Pummeled by Wall Street over its dwindling cash reserves ? and its stumbling attempts to reinvent itself as a profitable player in digital imaging and printing ? Kodak has been hawking the digital patents since July. Many financial analysts foresee the portfolio fetching $2 billion to $3 billion.

But others think Kodak can haul in far more than that ? and carry it off within a few months. That's because patents have become highly valuable to digital device makers who want to protect themselves from intellectual property lawsuits. In July, an alliance made up of Apple and Microsoft purchased a raft of patents from Nortel Networks for $4.5 billion. A month later, Google bought Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, in part, to gain hold of the company's 17,000 patents.

"The size of the (Kodak) deal could blow your socks off," predicts Los Angeles money manager Ken Luskin, whose Intrinsic Value Asset Management owns 3.8 million Kodak shares.

"It's pocket change for Google and Apple to go pay $3-or-$4-or-$5 billion for these patents," concurs Christopher Marlett, chief executive of MDB Capital, an investment bank based in Santa Monica, Calif., that specializes in intellectual property. "There is an all-out nuclear war right now for global dominance in smartphones, tablets and mobile devices, and Kodak has one of the largest cache of weapons sitting there." Marlett says he owns Kodak stock, but wouldn't disclose how much.

Even a hefty return, skeptics counter, won't solve Kodak's struggle to close out a nearly decade-long transformation and return to profitability in 2012 after running up losses in six of the last seven years.

"All the extra cash does is give you a lifeline for a short period. And then, poof, you're back in the same position without the assets to sell," says analyst Shannon Cross of Cross Research in Livingston, N.J. "If you're burning cash and not finding a way to generate recurring earnings, it doesn't matter."

Kodak's grim financial picture should become clearer when it reports third-quarter results Thursday.

Agitated investors will likely focus on the company's latest borrowing activities and cash woes ? it had $957 million in cash in June, down from $1.6 billion in January. They will also want to know what kind of progress Kodak made in the July-September period in building up a high-margin ink business to replace shriveling film sales.

Kodak has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into new lines of inkjet printers that are finally on the verge of turning a profit. Home photo printers, high-speed commercial inkjet presses, workflow software and packaging are viewed as the company's new core. Kodak projects that sales from those four businesses will double to nearly $2 billion in revenue in 2013, accounting for 25 percent of all sales.

In the meantime, Kodak needs to tap other sources of revenue before those areas have time to pay off ? and mining its inventions has become indispensable.

Kodak's chief executive, Antonio Perez, has signed confidentiality agreements with potential buyers but hasn't given a time frame for a deal. The patents for capturing, storing, organizing, editing and sharing digital images do not apply to the four core businesses, Kodak spokesman Gerard Meuchner says.

"One thing I would stress is: It is our intention to retain a license to any of the intellectual property we sell," Meuchner says. "It's like you sell the property but still get to live in the house."

A sale represents a sharp tactical shift. Kodak picked up just $27 million in patent-licensing fees in the first half of 2011 after amassing nearly $2 billion in the previous three years.

In the heated environment for patents, "it makes more sense for us to sell the portfolio than it does to license it company by company, which takes lots of time and expense and can involve litigation," Meuchner says.

Michael Fitzgerald, chief executive of Next Techs Technologies, a patent buying-and-selling intermediary in Houston, says that while the portfolio is valuable, "I just don't view it necessarily as a 'strategic' acquisition that multiple players will fall all over themselves on."

Investor fears sent Kodak stock tumbling to an all-time closing low of 78 cents a share on Sept. 30 after it hired Jones Day, a major restructuring law firm, as an adviser. Kodak insisted it had no intention of filing for bankruptcy protection.

Kodak is also involved in a royalty dispute with iPhone behemoth Apple and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. The case centers on a 2001 patent now on the auction block ? a method that enables a camera to preview low-resolution versions of a moving image while recording still images at higher resolutions.

The 21-month-old battle before the U.S. International Trade Commission, a trade-dispute arbiter in Washington, D.C., was due to be revisited on Monday, but was recently shelved until December 30.

Chief Executive Antonio Perez thinks a favorable ruling could enable Kodak to draw up to $1 billion in fees from its deep-pocketed rivals. In 2009, the commission ruled that South Korean mobile phone makers Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics infringed the same patent, resulting in $964 million in payouts.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45095153/ns/business-us_business/

the walking dead season 2 milwaukee brewers will power will power indy 500 martin luther king memorial walking dead season 2

Insight: Dreaded "Brazil cost" may dim Foxconn's iPad dreams (Reuters)

JUNDIAI, Brazil (Reuters) ? The nondescript stretch of asphalt is an unlikely symbol of Brazil's attempt to lift its economy into a new high-tech era.

If officials in the industrial town of Jundiai get their way, it will soon be named Steve Jobs road -- in homage to the late Apple Inc co-founder and a nod to the expected windfall that producing iPads and iPhones here will bring.

Brazil's government has loudly proclaimed a deal it says is worth $12 billion for Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn to produce iPads and build a whole new industry based around screens used in an array of consumer electronics from smartphones to televisions.

But the infamous "Brazil cost" -- shorthand for the bureaucracy and high taxes that plague business in the country -- is already overshadowing the deal, complicating negotiations with Foxconn over the broader investment plan. The likely need for large state subsidized loans to lure Foxconn also revives concerns about the state's heavy hand in Brazil's economy.

The deal's transformative potential for Brazil is clear -- a home-grown technology industry could move the commodities giant up the value-added chain to join the likes of Taiwan and South Korea, reducing its dependence on manufactured imports from Asia.

Yet critics say Brazil's shallow labor pool and poor infrastructure make it ill-prepared to make the leap to high-end work and that it risks being stuck at the low end -- assembling components designed and made elsewhere. At first, Foxconn will have to fly in most of the key components such as semiconductors, modems and screens from China, as Brazil attempts to raise its ability to produce more of them locally.

"We are selling our market very cheaply, giving tax incentives for a company to come and produce something that is already developed in the world market," said Joao Maria de Oliveira, a researcher at the government-linked Institute for Applied Economic Research, or IPEA. "It's not something that adds much value and it won't leave much here."

The amount of value added to Apple products by Foxconn's approximately one million workers in China is a mere $10 or so per device, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine.

Brazil has cut taxes and duties on tablet production in a move that should reduce the retail price by about a third and is phasing in production requirements to foster a local components industry.

Separately, it is in talks with Foxconn on a package of incentives, including priority customs access, more tax breaks and subsidized loans from state development bank BNDES to secure the bigger investment in high-end screens.

It isn't hard to see what's in it for Foxconn, Apple and other foreign companies, including Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd that have expressed interest in making tablets here.

Apple will gain better access to Brazil's voracious consumers, who have faced high prices for its products due to hefty import tariffs, and will create a jumping-off point for other rapidly growing Latin American countries.

Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics company, with around a third of the global market, would gain a vital foothold in Latin America's largest economy and reduce the risks of having so much Apple production in China.

Producing in Brazil would also give Foxconn and Apple preferential access to Brazil's partners in the Mercosur customs union -- Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

But the "Brazil cost" raises doubts over whether Apple will be able to make the iPad cheaply enough for the Brazilian market and use it as a major base to export to the United States and Latin America.

Brazil's consumer market is a huge draw for companies such as Apple, but analysts say the domestic industry will likely take years to move beyond assembly to higher-end production.

"It will take at least five, six years to create the entire ecosystem there," said Satish Lele, vice president, consulting, Asia Pacific at Frost & Sullivan in Singapore.

"I don't think they (Brazil) are ready to support huge growth as far as the electronics sector is concerned."

THE BRAZIL COST

The Foxconn factory near "Steve Jobs" road is rumored by Brazilian media to already be producing iPhones and is expected to start churning out iPad tablets by December for sale to Brazil's growing middle class. The company, whose main listed vehicle is Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, has already hired more than 1,000 people in Jundiai, a medium-sized city an hour away from Sao Paulo, to work at a new plant.

Jundiai is planning to build a technology park and nearby towns are also looking to draw more such investment.

"We're the BRICs of Brazil," said Carmelo Paoletti Neto, a spokesman for the town, comparing the region to role played the emerging powerhouses Brazil, Russia, India and China on the global stage.

But the starting monthly wage for members of the metalworkers' union in Jundiai is about 1,058 reais ($605) -- nearly double the 2,000 yuan ($315) minimum wage Foxconn paid in China as of last October.

Those wage pressures are likely to make it hard for the iPad price to fall any time soon to a range that would give it the mass-market appeal it enjoys in the United States.

Tablet sales in Brazil will jump to 450,000 this year from 105,000-110,000 last year, according to consulting firm IDC, surging to above 1 million next year. That is significant growth -- but the 60 percent of Brazilian households without a computer won't necessarily rush out to buy tablets, cautioned Jose Martim Juacida, an analyst with the company.

"The first computer purchase is usually a desktop or a laptop, because a desktop can be shared," he said.

(Additional reporting by James Pomfret in Hong Kong; Lee Chyen Yee and Clare Jim in Taiwan; editing by Kieran Murray, Martin Howell and Andre Grenon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111030/bs_nm/us_foxconn_brazil

intc barometer barometer cyclops cyclops zanesville google ice cream sandwich