Vittorio Hernandez

In spite of an online sales campaign patterned after the successful Click Monday in the U.S., a survey released on Monday said that it will still be a bleak Christmas season for Australia's retail sector.

The Australian share market closed flat today, with a battle between the banks - which were higher, and the miners, which were lower, playing out. Volume was very low, in fact it was the slowest trading day since the 3rd January when many people were still on Summer holidays. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) closed down 4.6pts or 0.1pct to 4505.5.

HTC will be coming up with the latest smartphone called as HTC Desire SV aka Magni, which supports dual-SIM function. This device is a mid-range device and has the model detail as T326e.

The HTC Sensation XL is a larger version of the HTC Sensation XE, which by itself is an upgrade to the original HTC Sensation. HTC Sensation XL is branded as one of the costliest Android smartphones in the world. On the other hand, the LG Optimus EX is one of the powerful devices from LG which packs a dual core processor in it as well.

The Australian sharemarket has kicked off the day in the red, with the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) easing by 0.1 per cent or 4.1 pts to 4506. Most sectors are improving modestly; however not sufficiently to tip markets into positive territory. The mining companies are down by 1 per cent, being weighed down most by gold producer, Newcrest Mining (NCM) and iron ore company, Fortescue Metals (FMG).

Some of Australian retailers will reduce their online prices for 24 hours on Nov 20 in a sales promotion called Click Frenzy. The promo is patterned after the U.S.'s Cyber Monday shopping holiday.

The Cities of Opportunity survey conducted by accountancy firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) named Tokyo as the most expensive in 27 global cities, followed by Sydney.

A report released on Sunday by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) estimated that the number of Australians living in poverty has gone up to over 2.26 million by one-third of one per cent since 2003. That translates into one in eight Australians.

Local stocks managed a slight win today, with mining stocks leading the gains. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) added 5pts or 0.1pct by close to 4510.1, to finish the trading week relatively flat (XAO closed at 4513 last week). However local stocks remain near 14 month highs.

ANZ Bank joined the rest of the big four on Friday by announcing a 20 basis points rate cut for its standard variable rates. With the decision, ANZ pockets 5 basis points out of the 25 basis points cut made by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) last week.

Google's partnership with Samsung for a tablet computer is expected to yield some cutting-edge component tech, one of which is the pixel-packing display.

Mobile phone users thinking of getting the newly announced Galaxy S III mini because it has 8GBs of RAM may need to look again. The official specifications on the Samsung Web site lists the model as having 8Gb of RAM, which could misleading because that actually stands for gigabits, and not gigabytes. Eight gigabits is equivalent to 1 gigabyte, or 1GB.

Local stocks are trading modestly higher at lunchtime in the East, shrugging off a lacklustre finish on Wall Street. European markets were well supported thanks to solid moves from retail stocks; however US markets closed largely flat. At lunchtime in the East, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is up 7.6pts or 0.2pct to 4512.8.

The Australia Post reported on Thursday that it registered an overall yearly net profit of A$281 million or a 17 per cent rise compared to a year ago. The significant increase in its income, while its counterparts in the U.S., UK and Canada are suffering due to technology, is mainly due to Australians' growing love for online shopping.

British Airways has indicated in a submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that it is considering quitting from the London-Australia route, more popularly called the Kangaroo route. The London-based air carrier cited Qantas recent preference for Emirates as its alliance partner as reason behind its change of plan.

Sydney Archbishop George Pell denied on Thursday a claim by the lawyer representing a sex abuse victim that he was present when the boy, then a Grade 3 student, recounted his rape by a Christian Brother.

The Australian sharemarket had yet another quiet day with only $3.3 billion worth of shares exchanging hands. The All Ordinaries eased by 0.1 per cent or 6.7 pts to 4505.2, losing ground for the second consecutive session and for the third time this week.

In less than four weeks, Microsoft is set to launch Window 8, which would likely result in the web being flooded with prices of new PCs suited to the latest OS.

As Microsoft moves from Windows 7 to 8, the tech giant is faced with the huge task of teaching people how to use the new operating system, CNET reports. Leaked training videos give a peek of how Microsoft intends to accomplish that huge task.

ocal stocks continued to slide away from 14 month highs this morning, following another poor night on US and European markets. Wall Street eased was hit by more concerns over the outcome of the current 3rd Quarter reporting season.

A Frenchwoman got the shock of her life when her service provider billed her €11.721 quadrillion. Solenne San Jose of Bordeaux, upon receipt of the bill - which is almost 6,000 times France's yearly gross domestic product - immediately called Bouygues Telecom to verify the amount being collected.

Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney, was present when a Grade 3 male student in a Ballarat school, recounted he was raped by a Christian brother in the late 1960s.

Arrium sold its majority stake in Steel & Tube, a New Zealand company, for $74 million. The sale is expected to drastically reduce the more than $2 billion debt of the steel, mining and mining consumable company that used to be known as OneSteel.

Australia is clearly on the road to one million homes having solar photovoltaic panels installed, the chief adviser to the Sustainable Energy Association (SEA) said on Wednesday. To help reach that goal is the opening of the 10-megawatt Greenough River Solar Farm in Western Australia.

After hitting a 14-month high yesterday, the Australian market ended in the red for the second time this week. The All Ordinaries Index (XAO) eased by 0.3 per cent or 14.7 pts to 4511.9. Keep in mind that both the volume and dollar value of shares exchanging hands remains light.

Microsoft's notorious Patch Tuesday has been replaced by Update Tuesday, at least for Wednesday, Oct 10, as the company makes sweeping alterations to Windows 8 and its core apps.

There's a trend at work in Lenovo's new convertible family of Windows 8 computing products: the names all suggest what they do, and the theme of flexibility.

Mary Retallack, a wine grape scientist from Adelaide Hills, was declared on Tuesday the top winner of the 2012 Australian Rural Women's Award. She was recognised for her efforts to help improve the potential of women in the wine industry and rural sector.

Local stocks have retreated from 14 month highs today, following a lacklustre session on US and European markets overnight. Wall Street eased into the red due to a lack of direction with no economic data released, and as investors showed nerves ahead of the start of the reporting season. At lunchtime in the East, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) is down 13.6pts or 0.3pct to 4513.