The Buzz On Business
iPOD, NIKE TO SPOT EACH OTHER AT GYM: Nike and Apple are making the iPod compatible with gym equipment. The companies said Tuesday that they are working with several gym equipment manufacturers and the health clubs 24-Hour Fitness and Virgin Athletic Health Clubs to allow members to plug their iPod Nanos into cardio equipment. They then could track workouts, set goals and upload the information to a Nike Web site. The technology is expected to start rolling out to more than 500 gyms worldwide this summer. It's another major partnership for Nike Inc. and Apple Inc., which created Nike+ technology more than a year ago. The wireless system allows some Nike running shoes embedded with a sensor to communicate with Apple's iPod Nano.
PUBLIC INPUT SOUGHT ON BofA ACQUISITION OF COUNTRYWIDE: A consumer advocacy group wants banking regulators to hold public hearings in California on Bank of America Corp.'s proposed acquisition of Countrywide Financial Corp. The Greenlining Institute said Tuesday it sent a letter outlining its request to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. The group says it supports the buyout but wants homeowners in California to be able to express their opinions on the deal. The institute has asked Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Ken Lewis to meet with community groups and lay out plans to aid homeowners at risk of foreclosure. Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America agreed in January to acquire Countrywide for about $4 billion in stock. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter.
CONTROLLER EXTENDS THE SENSE OF TOUCH: A controller developed at Carnegie Mellon University allows computer users to manipulate three- dimensional images and explore virtual environments not only through sight and sound, but by using their sense of touch. The device, expected to be used mainly for research, training and industrial purposes, comes close to the sensitivity of the human hand. Using magnetic fields, the haptic device replicates the response a hand might have to textures and gravitational forces, said Ralph L. Hollis, a Carnegie Mellon professor who developed it. Haptic refers to devices that convey the sense of touch.
FORD FIESTA TO RETURN AFTER 30 YEARS ABROAD: Ford Motor Co. unveiled its redesigned Fiesta subcompact Tuesday at the Geneva International Motor Show with hopes of snagging a bigger share of the market for fuel-stingy vehicles that emit less carbon dioxide and said it will bring the nameplate back to the United States after a 30-year absence. The Fiesta, with swept-back headlights and a deep grille flanked by foglights, emits less than 100 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, one of the greenhouse gases thought to cause global warming. It consumes as little as 3.7 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (up to 63.5 miles per gallon) in the ECOnectic 1.4 liter diesel-engine version, Ford says. The Fiesta has sold about 12 million units since it was introduced in 1976, and Ford has high expectations for the make in the face of growing demand for smaller, more efficient vehicles at a time of high gas prices and growing economic uncertainty.
ISRAELI ACCUSED OF FORECLOSURE SCAM: An Israeli citizen living in California remains jailed until his federal trial over allegations he ran a foreclosure scam. Isaac Yass, 41, is accused of filing fraudulent bankruptcy petitions in Kansas that were part of a scheme to bilk homeowners facing foreclosure. U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren in Wichita said Yass was arrested last week in Los Angeles. He was indicted in Topeka on six counts of mail fraud and six counts of aggravated identify theft. U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson ruled that Yass is to remain in custody. Prosecutors called Yass a flight risk. Melgren's office said bankruptcy clerks in California, Maryland and Tennessee are investigating filings that may be tied to Yass.
BEE NEWS SERVICES
Figuratively Speaking
$74,570: Average salary for technology professionals in 2007, according to Dice Salary Survey
1: Rank of Silicon Valley as the tech pros' highest paying metro area
$93,876: Average salary for tech pros in Silicon Valley
2, 3, 4, 5: Ranks of Boston ($83,465), Baltimore-Washington, D.C. ($81,750), Los Angeles ($81,039) and New York ($80,770) on the list of highest paying metro areas
JOHN MacINTYRE,
UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
This story was originally published March 5, 2008 at 4:22 AM with the headline "The Buzz On Business."