News 1st Look: China's dot-com darlings tap cheap global credit

Sunday, December 2, 2012

China's dot-com darlings tap cheap global credit

China's dot-com darlings tap cheap global credit
See the Top 5 Coolest Cars at the 2012 L.A. Auto Show
Top 5 Kids Apps of the Week
Saban buys control of Israel's Partner Communications
Zenonia 5 tops Android Games of the Week
False Alarm: John McAfee Is Still on the Run
Hunter Moore's Gross New Site Will Be Slightly Less Gross than Advertised
Oysters Eyed as Help for New York Harbor
SAP co-founder sells shares worth more than $155 million
Sunlit Nanoparticles Turn Water To Steam
Top 10 Twitter Pics of the Week
The Secret iPhone Setting That Makes Beats Headphones Sound Better
6 Futuristic Fireplaces to Keep You Warm This Winter
7 Apps You Don't Want To Miss
Top 10 Tech This Week

China's dot-com darlings tap cheap global credit

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 01:05 PM PST

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese search engine company Baidu Inc paid a lower interest rate than Google Inc when it sold $750 million in 10-year bonds last month. China's three dominant dot-com names - Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent Holdings Ltd - have successfully tapped global funding this year, stockpiling a combined $6 billion in debt despite investor skepticism about opaque Chinese companies. The big three plan to use the money to pad their industry advantage at home, to compete better abroad, and perhaps to buy cash-starved rivals. Ultra-low interest rates on U.S. ...

See the Top 5 Coolest Cars at the 2012 L.A. Auto Show

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 06:25 AM PST

BMW i3 Coupe Concept

Top 5 Kids Apps of the Week

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 05:12 AM PST

Chris Crowell is a veteran kindergarten teacher and contributing editor to Children's Technology Review, a web-based archive of articles and reviews on apps, technology toys and video games. Download a free issue of CTR here.

Saban buys control of Israel's Partner Communications

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 08:09 AM PST

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S.-Israeli media magnate Haim Saban agreed to buy a controlling stake in Israel's second largest telecoms operator, Partner Communications , to expand into the market for bundled phone, internet and television services. Saban Capital will pay Israeli holding company Scailex Corp 250 million shekels ($65 million) in cash, and take on a $300 million loan that Scailex owes to Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa , Scailex said in a statement to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. ...

Zenonia 5 tops Android Games of the Week

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 05:48 PM PST

We've got a big week for Android users, and not just because there's another sequel to Zenonia. This past week saw releases like a great multiplayer sequel to a match three, a spiritual successor to Hyperlight, a new indie puzzle adventure from the studio behind Anomaly Warzone Earth, and the craziest blend of tower defense and real time strategy you'll play this year. Oh, there's a mega huge Marvel Games release too, but it's sort of broken...

False Alarm: John McAfee Is Still on the Run

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 03:17 PM PST

John McAfee is still living the life a of a fugitive, apparently. The reality is no one seems to know where McAfee is.

Hunter Moore's Gross New Site Will Be Slightly Less Gross than Advertised

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 02:26 PM PST

Don't worry, though. It's still going to be pretty gross. The last time we checked in with Hunter Moore's gross new website he was telling Betabeat's Jessica Roy the big new feature of his post-Is Anyone Up? comeback would be including the addresses of the people he posts nude pictures of. Moore is now walking back on that promise, now. He will only post the addresses of people he trolls personally.

Oysters Eyed as Help for New York Harbor

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 11:26 AM PST

They are soft to the touch, but surrounded by a hard rough shell. Known as filter feeders, many as small as your thumb, they use their tiny cilia to draw in plankton, sediment and other particles over their gills and spit out cleaner water. They...

SAP co-founder sells shares worth more than $155 million

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 07:06 AM PST

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - SAP's co-founder Hasso Plattner sold shares in the German business software maker worth 120 million euros ($155.74 million), divesting a portion of his overall stake, the company said on Friday. To protect the stock price, a bank will place 10 million euros worth of the shares every month until no more are left. "The sale will be carried out at the bank's own discretion in the stock market or over the counter, for the first time in November 2012 and then again in the months January through November 2013," SAP said in a regulatory statement. ...

Sunlit Nanoparticles Turn Water To Steam

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 06:00 AM PST

Heated grains of coated sand turn water to steam without having to boil the whole pot. David Biello reports.

Top 10 Twitter Pics of the Week

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 04:34 AM PST

1. I Kissed a Girl

The Secret iPhone Setting That Makes Beats Headphones Sound Better

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 03:54 AM PST

Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Studio headphones were selling for rock-bottom prices on Black Friday -- we even saw a pair of these once-overpriced headphones, which originally sold for $350, for $115. But headphone purists are dismayed at the sound of these flashy cans, mocking their powerful bass as overpowering and artificial. If you feel that way and you're listening to these headphones on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, here's how to equalize their sound to your liking.

6 Futuristic Fireplaces to Keep You Warm This Winter

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 10:04 AM PST

Who would have guessed -- the futuristic-looking luxury fireplace industry is booming. Surprisingly, if you can dream it, it can be built. But, most of the time, it'll cost you.