Online Gaming in Action

Online gaming industry now becomes the number 2 activity online by the youth nowadays. The gaming companies are looking forward for greater business and acquisitions. Zynga, Playdom , crowdstar and Xbox now turns up towards making more money in the market. The social gaming network has some of the biggest players in the making.

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

As online gaming continues to grow at double-digits – it became the number 2 online activity in June — a growing number of corporations hoping to boost their Web presence have begun to take a serious look at the biggest players in social gaming, including oft-cited targets such as Crowdstar and Kabam. Together, they power a $1.6 billion annual market for “virtual goods” – goods and services sold in-game, such as a $20 tractor in Zynga’s Farmville or $224 for 1,000 experience points in Mafia Wars – expected to hit $2.1 billion in 2011.

Media companies see a chance to put the characters and content they created for television or film in social gaming, said Attul Bagga, an analyst with Think Equity.

Alone a social networking site Facebook shares $1.6 billion market through the casual games such as Farmville, mafia wars etc.  Media and advertising companies such as Think Equity is trying to diversify their business in this field too with virtual goods and subscription models.

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Motorola now rolls a new smart phone in the market in competition to Nokia phones. This new business phone offers all features such as a five megapixel camera and DVD quality video. It has technology similar to Droid Pro features with built in keyboard, secure email settings and Microsoft tools such as word and excel.

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Music and Video Downloading Device by Sony

Soon there will be a new technology which helps in downloading music and videos by attaching it with other devices. Sony Corporation comes in the market to compete with Apple Inc which dominates the market presently.

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

TOKYO: Sony Corp will launch a new music and video download service linking a range of its devices, in a challenge to Apple Inc‘s dominant position in the market, the Financial Times said.

The announcement is set to be made at the IFA technology show been held in Berlin, the paper said, coinciding with a scheduled media event by Apple the same day in the United States.

The service will work across various internet-connected devices, such as Walkman music players, Vaio computers, Bravia TVs, Blu-ray players and Sony Ericsson mobile phones but will not be available to consumers until next year, the paper said.

Sony’s Welsh-born president, Howard Stringer, has struggled to develop hit products and services that take advantage of the conglomerate’s rich portfolio of music and film.

The company launched a video-on-demand service in the United States, dubbed Qriocity, this year.

But Sony has so far failed to gain ground on Apple in the download market. Apple is expected to unveil a revamped iPod at its media event, although speculation is also simmering it will make an announcement about its own TV project,d devices, such as Walkman music players, Vaio computers, Bravia TVs, Blu-ray players and Sony Ericsson mobile phones but will not be available to consum Apple TV.

Presently, the product can be used with all internet connecting devices such as Walkman music players, Vaio computers, Bravia TVs, Blu-ray players and 3G mobile phones. The services will hit the market by next year whereas till then Apple will be out soon with new TV project, Apple TV.

Recession Vs. Rich

The recession did hit the market but it could not affect the rich in the businesses. The world’s ranks of millionaires rose 17%to 10 million in stock market. The growth graph was highest in countries like India and China along with Brazil. The millionaires from these places could now match the ones in Europe in terms of wealth.

From: in.news.yahoo.com

The rich grew richer last year, even as the world endured the worst recession in decades.

A stock market rebound helped the world’s ranks of millionaires climb 17% to 10 million, while their collective wealth surged 19% to $39 trillion, nearly recouping losses from the financial crisis, according to the latest Merrill Lynch-Capgemini World Wealth Report.

Stock values rose by half, while hedge funds recovered most of their 2008 losses, in a year marked by government stimulus spending and central bank easing.

“We are already seeing distinct signs of recovery and, in some areas, a complete return to 2007 levels of wealth and growth,” Bank of America Corp wealth management chief Sallie Krawcheck said.

The fastest growth in wealth took place in India, China and Brazil, some of the hardest hit markets in 2008. Wealth in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific soared to record highs.

Asia’s millionaire ranks rose to 3 million, matching Europe for the first time, paced by a 4.5% economic expansion. Asian millionaires‘ combined wealth surged 31%to $9.7 trillion, surpassing Europe’s $9.5 trillion. In North America, the ranks of the rich rose 17% and their wealth grew 18% to $10.7 trillion.

The United States was home to the most millionaires in 2009- 2.87 million-followed by Japan with 1.65 million, Germany with 8,61,000, and China with 4,77,000.

Switzerland had the highest concentration of millionaires: nearly 35 for every 1,000 adults. Yet as portfolios bounced back, investors remained wary after a collapse that erased a decade of stock gains, fuelled a contraction in the global economy and sent unemployment soaring.

The report, based on surveys with more than 1,100 wealthy investors with 23 firms, found that the rich were well served by holding a broad range of investments, including commodities and real estate. “The wealthy allocated, as opposed to concentrated, their investments,” Merrill Lynch head of US wealth management Lyle LaMothe said in an interview.

Millionaires poured more of their money into fixed-income investments seeking predictable returns and cash flow. The challenge ahead for brokers is convincing clients to move off the sidelines and pursue riskier, more fruitful investments.

“There is still a hesitancy,” LaMothe said. “Liquidity is incredibly important and people need cash flow to preserve their lifestyle -but they want to replace that cash flow in a way that does not increase their risk profile.”

The report found that investor confidence in advisers and regulators remains shaken. The rich are actively managing their investments, seeking customised advice and demanding full disclosure about the securities they buy.

The worst hit countries were Switzerland, United States, Japan, Germany and Japan. The stock market gains kept the investors wary and the rich just got richer and the middle class were lower in wealth.