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Apple Fights for Broader Audience

No matter how big the purse in a heavyweight boxing match, the real gold may come from staging the fight. It is a little like that in the wireless industry.

If Verizon Wireless gets to sell the iPhone in the next year or so, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, its battle with AT&T will heat up. But regardless of how many customers either side gains or loses, the real winner will be Apple. It mightn't get as rich a wholesale price for the device as it has from AT&T during its period of exclusivity. But working with Verizon gives Apple the chance to sharply boost its U.S. market share—likely at the expense of rivals in the Google-affiliated Android camp.

After all, with 91.2 million customers at Dec. 31, Verizon tops AT&T, with 85.1 million. There is a bigger disparity when only customers with contracts are counted. And the widespread perception that AT&T's network has capacity problems has likely kept some would-be iPhone users from signing up.

Of course, as those capacity problems have largely come from heavy iPhone users, there is a good chance Verizon, which is owned by Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group, will face similar challenges if it gets the device. In contrast, losing a few customers could help relieve the strain on AT&T's network, which also is being upgraded. The company has boosted capital spending to add capacity, particularly in two "very high-volume" and high-profile markets: New York and San Francisco.

What this means is that AT&T and Verizon will bloody each other in the battle for lucrative smart-phone customers. On the sidelines, counting the cash, likely will be Apple.

Ex American Idol Finalist Arrested for Girl Fight

Posted Mar 30th 2010 10:49AM by TMZ Staff

A finalist from season 6 of "American Idol" was arrested in Georgia last night after cops say they had to rip her out of a ferocious girl-on-girl brawl.

The perp is 22-year-old Stephanie Edwards who finished in 11th place behind Jordin Sparks back in 2007.

According to the Chatham County Sheriff's Dept, Edwards was busted in Savannah around 10:00 PM after cops noticed the singer and another woman "fighting in the middle of the street." Cops say they broke up the fight and arrested both women.

Edwards told police she had gone to the other woman's home to confront her about "harassing phone calls" -- and that's when things got violent.

Both women were transported to a nearby jail. Edwards has since been released.

As for who won the fight -- cops say Edwards had a couple of scratches on her face and chest, but the other woman had a bruised up right eye ... so, sounds like a draw.

Conrad Murray-Micheal Was Alive At UCLA?

Posted Mar 30th 2010 9:00AM by TMZ Staff

TMZ has learned doctors who worked on Michael Jackson at the UCLA Medical Center ran two EKGs on the singer, and at least one doctor who interpreted the results claims there was heart rhythmic activity both times.

Furthermore, sources tell TMZ Dr. Conrad Murray insists he was able to restart Jackson's heart at the singer's home before paramedics arrived and then maintained heart activity in the ambulance.

Dr. Murray's evaluation contradicts paramedics at the scene who wanted to take Jackson to the morgue, not UCLA, because they believed he was dead.

It also contradicts Joe Jackson's lawyer, Brian Oxman, who tells TMZ he believes Jackson was dead even before paramedics arrived at the house. Oxman says the weak pulse detected at UCLA was in reaction to resuscitation efforts.

We're told the criminal case is shaping up as a legal war between medical experts, who will be interpreting medical tests and charts in various ways -- always confusing for a jury.

Best Buy's iPad supply: 15 per store

Posted by Philip Elmer-DeWitt

March 29, 2010 11:51 AM

Cupertino is keeping the consumer electronics giant on a very short leash

In a press release issued Monday, Apple (AAPL) lists "most Best Buy stores" among the places — along with Apple.com, Apple retail stores and selected authorized resellers and campus stores — where customers can buy iPads on April 3.

But would-be buyers who show up at the 675 Best Buy (BBY) stores privileged to carry the tablet computer this Saturday better plan to get there early.

According to an internal memo leaked over the weekend to TUAW.com, only Best Buy stores with "Apple Shop" displays will carry the devices. And those stores will receive only five units of each iPad model (16GB, 32GB and 64GB) — or a total of 15 iPads per store — for Saturday.

Moreover, not all those iPads will be available for sale. Four must be marked "Not for Resale" and set aside as demo units. These iPads, the memo warns, "cannot be sold under any circumstances."

And the fate of the 11 that remain is even in doubt.

Fifteen iPads are promised for delivery by April 11, but the memo adds that "inventory will be extremely limited … In the event Apple cannot make inventory for April 11, stores will need to hold inventory from the April 3 shipments for the April 11 ad" (a reference to a promotional campaign scheduled for the following week).

"We can't wait for users to get their hands and fingers on [the iPad] this weekend," says Steve Jobs in a statement prepared for the release.

Getting their fingers on it may be all most walk-in customers get to do.

career's That You Should Be Considering

by Bobbi Dempsey, Investopedia.com

The latest labor statistics showed little change in the unemployment rate, which remained unchanged at 9.7 percent in February (from January), and in many areas jobs remain difficult--if not nearly impossible--to find. However, there are certain fields where the number of available jobs has grown, despite the recession. Here are a few professions where jobs are relatively plentiful.

Bus/Truck Mechanics
Simply Hired, a large job-search engine, recently released a report on job trends in the top 15 metropolitan areas in the United States. In nearly half of them, bus/truck mechanics (along with diesel-engine specialists) were among the least-competitive jobs. This means there were high-demand openings with few applicants. If you applied for one of these jobs, the odds would be heavily in your favor, as you'd have little competition.

Physical and Massage Therapists
These jobs were also among the least competitive on Simply Hired's report. That doesn't surprise Jeff Cohen, the author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Recession-Proof Careers." "While doctors may save your life, it is physical therapists who will make it more livable by reducing pain and improving quality of function," Cohen says, noting that this job category is expected to grow 27 percent by 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. He also suspects physical therapists will be in particular demand as baby boomers age.

Special Education Teachers
"Developmental-disorder diagnoses are on the rise for conditions like autism, which means more special education teachers will be called upon to guide youth suffering from physical and emotional challenges," Cohen says.

Environmental Engineers
"Waste disposal, air pollution, water contamination, and global warming all present massive environmental challenges in the new millennium," says Cohen. "Environmental engineers, a field expected to grow 25 percent by 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, will be on the forefront of designing solutions to our most pressing global challenges."

Healthcare
Job-search site Monster.com recently released their Monster Employment Index, which showed positive 2 percent growth from the same period last year and rising 10 points from January. Occupations in both Healthcare Practitioners/Technical and Healthcare Support saw sequential increases from the previous month.

Nursing
To address this growing need, Illinois-based Chamberlain College of Nursing even started offering several online nursing degree programs with only the clinical requirements done on site.

"There has been an increased interest in nursing as an opportunity with many options for the future," says Gail Baumlein, Chamberlain's director of online programs. "We have also seen an increase in the number of individuals who have chosen nursing as a second career." (The entire nation is suffering from unemployment headaches, but some industries are hurting worse than others. Don't miss "Careers in Crisis: Three Industries Hit Hardest by Job Losses.")

Baumlein doesn't see the demand for nurses slowing down anytime soon. "With the growing number of baby boomers entering a time of increased need for healthcare, with the increased longevity of our population, and with the variety of options available within the nursing profession, the opportunities are significant."

Finance/Banking
It may seem surprising, but a bad economy doesn't seem to hurt finance-related professions. Dennis Nason, a veteran banker and current CEO of Nason & Nason, an executive search firm for banking and finance, says specific job titles in high demand in this business environment include risk managers, compliance officers, audit managers, and business development officers.

"All industries are very focused on controlling risk and working within legal regulations and guidelines," Nason says. "Positions which oversee and supervise risk are and will continue to be in demand, particularly if one has appropriate licenses such as a CPA."

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
"These jobs are projected to experience 36 percent growth between now and 2018, with an average of 4,850 job openings per year," says Laurence Shatkin, the author of "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs." "Rapid growth does not always translate into job openings right now, but in this case it does. The number of veterinary lab tests continues to grow very rapidly, and colleges where students prepare for this career report good opportunities for their graduates."

Wind Energy Technicians
"People who install and service wind turbines are finding lots of job opportunities if they have good credentials," says Shatkin. "When a community college in New Mexico started an associate degree program for wind energy technicians in 2008, an official of General Electric promised to hire all graduates of the program for the next three years.

The Bottom Line
While the job market overall may not be so great, opportunities in certain sectors are plentiful. By targeting your job search to these in-demand fields--even if you need to get some quick training or revamp your resume to highlight skills that might be attractive to hiring managers in these areas--you can greatly increase your odds of landing a great job.

Superman Comic Sells for $1.5M,Settin Record

By JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle, Ap Entertainment Writer – Mon Mar 29, 3:40 pm ET

NEW YORK – The record price for a comic book, already broken twice this year, has been shattered again.

A copy of the 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1 sold Monday for $1.5 million on the auction Web site ComicConnect.com. The issue, which features Superman's debut and originally sold for 10 cents, is widely considered the Holy Grail of comic books.

The same issue sold in February for $1 million, though that copy wasn't in as good condition as the issue that sold Monday. That number was bested just days later when a 1939 comic book featuring Batman's debut sold for $75,000 more at an auction in Dallas.

There are about 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 believed to be in existence, and only a handful in good condition. The issue that sold Monday was rated slightly higher than the one that sold in February; it had been tucked inside an old movie magazine for years before being discovered.

The issue was bought from a private collector and then sold by Stephen Fishler and Vincent Zurzolo, the co-owners of ComicConnect.com. It was bought minutes after being posted Monday at the asking price of $1.5 million by "a hardcore comic book fan," Fishler said.

"There's been a lot of attempts to acquire this book over the last 15 years," he said. "The recent activity, I guess, did the trick."

Fishler speculated that the sudden burst of record-priced sales are due to "pent-up demand." Issues of such prized comic books rarely become available for purchase. Rarer still are issues in such good condition.

"I can't imagine another book coming on the market that exists that would top this," Fishler said. "This may be the final say — at least for the next 10 or 20 years — for a record price of a comic book."

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On the Net:

http://www.comicconnect.com/