04/15, 5:15pm
Scion redesigns xB stereo
Carmaker and Toyota offshoot Scion announced on Wednesday it is putting in a redesigned base head unit to all 2010 Scion xBs without raising the car's price. Compared to the head unit it replaces, both of which are manufactured by Pioneer, the new stereo has an organic electroluminescent (OEL) display, a USB connection and a subwoofer RCA output. The USB port is located in the center consoler, along with a cable for iPods and an 3.5mm aux-in jack. Pioneer also integrated an Advanced Sound Retriever (ASR) software into the head unit that aims to restore the full range of a compressed digital audio track.
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07/16, 11:00am
Apple Fortune 500 ranking
For the third year in a row, Apple has continued a slow escalation up the ranks of Fortune's Global 500. The list ranks the world's biggest 500 corporations in terms of revenues and profits; in the 2008 list Apple now sits at 337th, with revenues of over $24 billion, and profits nearing $3.5 billion. It is flanked by Canada's Bank of Nova Scotia, and France's Alstom. In the 2007 list Apple took 367th place, while in 2006 it barely managed to break in at 492nd.
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06/06, 12:25am
Apple takes 63rd place
A private New York-based research and consulting firm, Reputation Institute, recently compiled a list of the 600 largest companies with the best reputations, with Apple taking the 63rd spot, ahead of Microsoft at 137th place. Forbes reports that the electronics manufacturer went up 1.71 points from 73.71 a year ago, to 75.42 in the 2008 "Pulse" score, more than 11 points ahead of the global average. Clinching the top three spots were Japanese care manufacturer Toyota, search giant Google, and Swedish home furnishing company IKEA.
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04/21, 4:00pm
Google brand beats Apple
Google remains the number one company in the world in terms of estimated brand value, says the research group Millward Brown Optimor. Google has held its spot for a third consecutive year, with a recent valuation of $86.1 billion, an increase of 30 percent over earlier results. General Electric holds second place in the current survey at $71.4 billion, while Microsoft is valued at $70.9 billion. The results are based on interviews with over a million people worldwide.
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04/17, 6:55pm
Apple most innovative
BusinessWeek today released its list of "The 25 Most Innovative Companies" in the world, with Apple, Google, and Toyota taking the top three spots, respectively. The publication states the list is based on companies who nurture cultures that value creative people in good economic times and bad, as well as those that develop a diversified stock portfolio, and display independent though for corporate strategy, despite "finger-wagging" from analysts.
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12/06, 4:20pm
Toyota Home Robots in 2010
Toyota today said it would be one of the first companies to introduce helper robots into the home and began by revealing early forms of robots it expects to ultimately serve users. Known only as the partner robot, the humanoid model (shown at left) will ultimately help with tasks where the user is too busy or else incapable of performing themselves. Each limb has 17 separate joints that allow it to handle fine motor skills such as playing the violin. Future versions with more joints will not just help out with daily chores and entertainment but take care of the sick and even help the infirm move across significant distances, the car manufacturer says.
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