Shopping

Retail sales broke records during the Thanksgiving weekend, giving a needed boost to a long-suffering economy and raising retailers’ hopes for the best holiday shopping season ever. Retailers pulled out all the stops to lure foot traffic on Black Friday. Now, they’ve battling for consumer dollars in cyberspace for Cyber Monday. Last year, more than 100 million consumers shopped online on Cyber Monday to get the best deals and things they want, according to personal finance security service, BillGuard. Thus, if you don’t want miss the opportunity and leave Cyber Monday with empty hand, you have to be sharp in observing the deal and goods you want to take home online. Continue

Being aroused with the battle between Apple and Samsung around the globe, Samsung has decided to take its battle by releasing an advertisement. The campaign is made of a number of TV commercials that are set on a city street with people waiting in line for a new phone to be released. Though Samsung doesn’t come out and actually use the words “Apple iPhone”, it is obvious what the people are in line for. Although the latest advert for the Samsung Galaxy S II was not exactly subtle about which phone it mocked, the advertisement showed the iPhone 4S head to head with Samsung’s new device at the end of the scene. Continue

On Monday, President Obama signed the VOW to Hire Heroes Act into law. The President urged every business owner who is hiring to hire a veteran right away, because hiring veterans is smart business. As more than 1 million service members return to civilian jobs as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq wind down, connecting veterans with jobs here at home will help the economy grow. This Saturday, November 26th, is a day to recognize the crucial role that small businesses play in driving our economy and creating American jobs according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Continue

Apple’s new chief executive Tim Cook, who replaced ailing founder Steve Jobs in August, led over the launch of the iPhone 4S at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California. Apple exposed its newest product on Tuesday that is faster and more powerful but doesn’t have more radical upgrade on its features and model. Many people expected to get the newest iPhone in the form of iPhone 5, but they were offered with the identical model and slight upgrade of iPhone predecessor: iPhone 4S. Since there is no news of the eagerly awaited iPhone 5 at today’s Apple event, the Cupertino-based company’s stock value is falling down. Apple’s stock opened at $374.57, and went down nearly 20 points as low as $355 in market before starting to rebound.

Since high investor expectations of Apple’s newest cool gadget was disappointed, the iPhone 4S debut made the stock has fallen and it fell down for about half since early 2007. “Expectations for Apple’s product roll-outs have become really unrealistic,” said Channing Smith, a portfolio manager of the Capital Advisors Growth fund, which owns Apple stock. “What are (investors) expecting?” With Apple shareholders clearly not overly excited by the iPhone 4S, it leaves one to question how much Windows Phone and Android are set to benefit.

Apple today announced iPhone 4S which is packed with new features including Apple’s dual-core A5 chip, new camera with advanced optics with full 1080p HD resolution video recording and “Siri” – a voice activated-service that helps the users make calls, send text messages or email, search the Internet, get directions and more by just asking it. Other than new amazing features, iPhone S4 is also supported with the newest leading mobile operating system, iOS 5, which has over 200 new features and iCloud, free cloud services that enable iPhone S4 wirelessly stores the user content and sends it to other devices. iPhone S4 will come with $199 price for a 16 gigabyte-version, $299 price for 32 GB and $399 price for 64 GB and will require a two-year service contract.

However, Apple named its newest iPhone 4S when most people were expecting the iPhone 5. Apple’s stock fell more than 5 percent before getting its hit since Apple fans and investors got disappointed. Shares of Apple’s suppliers declined on Wednesday, after the company failed to surprise fans and investors with its newest iPhone. WP Stewart portfolio manager Michael Walker said, “It’s kind of funny — if they have gone and called it the 5, the stock would have been fine, but they’re calling it the 4S, which is a disappointment to some.”

The number one tourist attraction in the state is getting the best of the best service by providing health care. The Mall of America which is the largest mall in the United States, and has a number of attractions, including a roller coaster and a LEGO Land, is presenting its new addition: The Mayo Clinic. The ‘Create Your Mayo Clinic Health Experience,’ which is an educational project meant to inform and, occasionally, diagnose shoppers, is opened today at the Mall of America. The famous hospital signed a two-year lease for the space. The Pediatric health providers from 15 different specialties at Mayo Clinic plan a “Children’s Health Fair” Saturday at the Mall of America in “Bloomin”.

Mayo Clinic’s new store at the Mall of America gives the visitors a chance to learn more about programs related to health and wellness. Shoppers can now speak with trained healthcare staff, who will guide them through health plans and interactive booths and stands, which feature themes ranging from “discover” to “move,” “eat well,” “relax,” and “sleep.” The programs allow Mayo Clinic to collect input from visitors that will influence its plans for a permanent facility at the mall include its treatment and medical care service. The Mayo Clinic already has a presence in the Twin Cities as well as 70 medical facilities in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.