BANKING & FINANCE

Microsoft researchers started exploring inputting sign language capabilities to their Kinect. The company is working on including sign language reading capacities to the technology. Is this really possible?

Samsung seems intent on crushing every competitor out there. Apart from the company’s ongoing rivalry with Apple, it also now appears to be going out to challenge ASUS. Recent sighting of Samsung’s patent reveal the company is working on something similar to Asus Padfone.

The gears have shifted. Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) and Intel (INTC) are all eyeing the television industry apart from their computer ventures. While the three companies are working on streamlining television programming into their services, cable companies are stonewalling these efforts aggressively. Evidently, they do not want to share.

The latest PS4 has been receiving much hype and attention. Following the release of its competitor, Xbox One, all eyes are on Sony to see what the company will bring on the table. Reports indicate that Sony is trying its hardest to deliver possibly the best gaming console on the market yet.

Intel is the leading tech giant because of the company’s ability to pack excellent computing performance in transistors or processors that seem to decrease in size by the day. Even when computing devices shifted from huge desktop computers to small and slim ultrabooks, Intel manages to create a chip that is just right.

Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and Blackberry are battling it out for M2M supremacy. Handling business and personal data has become important for people, and increasing mobility and convenience of computing device are helping individuals do so. Analysts predict that the era of personal computers is almost over and more compact devices like ultrabooks and tablets will take centre stage.

The Australian dollar weakens further despite rallying slightly after the nation has posted a fourth consecutive month of trade surplus. On Wednesday, the Australian dollar traded at 91.62 U.S. cents, lower than Tuesday's exchange rate of 91.83 cents. Official data indicates Australia's trade balance last May maintained its positive streak for four months in a row with a surplus worth $670 million.

Smartphones running on the Firefox OS are now on sale. Here's a quick assessment of what these phones can do.

Intel's chief technology officer Justin Rattner has stepped down from his post because of his age. The company forbids any employer to be beyond 65 working still. Rattner will be on extended leave. Intel did not provide details about his return and to what his return will account for.

Sharp is bringing Ultra HDTV at a more affordable value. The company just unveiled their 70-inch THX-Certified Ultra HDTV. The HDTV starts at $8,000 – it may seem much for a television but this is actually just a fraction of what has been quoted for a futuristic TV as such. The new THX Ultra HDTV from Sharp delivers four times more resolution than the average garden-variety HDTV.

Plugging ultrabooks, tablets and smartphones in USB ports and power outlets will become a thing of the past as Intel ventures into wireless charging. Intel wants to cut the cable soon and allow users to wirelessly charge devices through Intel-powered computing devices especially laptops.

Intel is joining forces with Samsung and Qualcomm for the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) consortium. The company’s move is part of its ongoing efforts to develop and introduce wireless charging for laptops and tablets.

Details about Sony ‘s latest rumored phablet Sony i1 codenamed "Honami" were linked online. The upcoming device joins the surge of tablet and smartphone products pouring into the market. With a 5-inch 1080x1920 display plus 2000:1 contrast ratio, Sony is gearing up for this year’s battle of tech manufacturers. Can the company win?

Intel's Z2580 application processor, also known as CloverTrail before launching, defeated other leading processors in a benchmarking exercise. Intel outperformed competitors like Qualcomm, Nvidia and Samsung in a test according to Allied Business Intelligence Inc. Allied Business is affiliated with ABI Research.

The MSI GE40 gaming laptop was released last week and the company has begun shipping. The The MSI GE40 is MSI’s latest game offering. The company promises better gaming and portable experience.

With the announcement of Apple and their iOS 7 in the car, the company is confident that voice commands in automobiles prevent as much number of accidents. A recent study claims otherwise.

Toshiba has not made major announcements for quite some time but this time, the company is joining the bandwagon for some big tech announcements and releases. Just recently, Toshiba unleashed their new Satellite P Series of laptops, adding to the number of super computers on the market.

Florida-based multi-strategy alternative investment manager, Stonehenge Asset Management, LLC is set to launch its third multi-strategy hedge fund, Stonehenge Diversified III, in April this year. The new fund will be domiciled in the U.S. and has appointed NAV Consulting Inc., as administrator.

The S&P 500 fell 1.3% on a forex related move, after EUR/USD traded down to an eleven-month low.Among the major averages, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.1% to 12151. The S&P pulled back 1.3% to 1249, below its 200-day moving average, while the NASDAQ dropped 1.1% to 2267.

Morningstar has again launched its yearly pick for the top fixed-income managers of the year. The tough criterion will again focus on how these managers delivered outstanding returns based on a sound strategy for the long term and not just on the highest returns made for the fiscal year.

Emerging markets are again at the forefront of investment portfolios in 2012 as the dangers of inflation and stagnation had all been washed off by the tight monetary policies this year, a senior investment manager said.

Summits are there to be climbed. But there is no doubt when it comes to tax summits a lot of preparation, planning and public debate is required before anything resembling success looms into sight.

Fast-developing and emerging market leaders China and India will push the global demand for raw steel-making ingredients by as much as 68 percent between 2010 and 2025, according to mining giant BHP Billiton on Friday.

Chinese grain harvest posted its eighth consecutive increase this year but it will still failed to stabilize domestic prices as supplies continue to struggle to meet growing demand.

With world oil prices on a rollercoaster ride lately, the Chinese are more determined than ever to lessen their dependence on the precious commodity and exploit their abundant coal reserves.

With more and more foreign businesses wanting to invest and partake in Australia's huge and abundant mining industry, federal authorities are disturbed resources might all be consumed by foreign partners and none will be left for the locals to use.

China needs to re-work its economic policies and growth strategies if it wants to continue enjoying a more than 9 percent annual growth, which catapulted it to become the world's second-largest economy now, otherwise it is also doomed to suffer what the U.S. and Europe are presently experiencing.

China's massive importation of soybean and rapeseed oil, including palm, is seen to cause a global imbalance in the production and supply chain of the commodity, Hamburg-based researcher Oil World said.

Hopes of a coordinated European bailout plan propelled copper futures to end sharply higher Tuesday, with December delivery reaching 15.65 US cents, or 4.5 per cent, to $US3.4395 per pound on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.