Three ETFs To Watch As The Housing Market Crumbles

ETFs Mentioned: CUT • JJC • XHB

The last several months have provided an abundance of conflicting economic indicators. A stellar earnings season and surge in M&A activity gave investors hope that corporate profits were on the rebound. But stubbornly high unemployment and sagging consumer confidence have remained as major roadblocks to prolonged growth. With U.S. markets treading water recently, many investors have been looking for a catalyst to give equities direction heading into the fall quarter. Be careful what you wish for; that catalyst may have finally appeared in the form of a disastrous housing report. 

According to The National Association of Realtors, the seasonally adjusted annual rate of sales was 3.83 million units in July, a 27.2% drop from the downwardly revised 5.26 million-unit rate in June and a 25.5% drop from the 5.14 million-unit level in July 2009. This figure represents the lowest sales level since 1999 and the lowest rate for single-family homes in more than 15 years. More importantly, the level reported Tuesday was close to one million units less than analyst expectations. “From our vantage point, the first time home buyers credit pulled forward demand–by definition this is what stimulus measures achieve–however the issue this time is that there was so little demand to be pulled forward, the credit has left no demand for the summer,” Dan Greenhaus, chief economic strategist for Miller Tabak

Daily ETF Roundup: XLV Sinks, BLV Soars

ETFs Mentioned: BLV • XLV

U.S. equity markets continued their plunge on Tuesday after extremely weak housing data sent markets tumbling. The Dow finished down 1.2% while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq posted losses of 1.3% and 1.5% respectively. This pushed investors into safe havens such as gold and Treasury bills which once again saw gains; gold prices finished above the $1,230 mark while the Ten Year Bond yield plunged to below 2.5%. This gloomy day came after existing home sales slumped by 27.2% compared to last month and to the lowest level in 15 years. Economists were also off by nearly one million units in their forecast, underscoring just how quickly the bottom has fallen out of the housing market. “The numbers in the housing market just reinforced the notion that housing has double-dipped,” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial. “That in and of itself is worrisome because the retail investor is very much attuned to the local housing markets and extrapolating from that into the stock market.”

Sprint Drops Epic 4G Availability and Pricing

For those that just didn’t want to settle for the world’s first 4G smart phone, the HTC EVO, despite an impressive set of features, Sprint just dropped availability and pricing details for the Samsung Epic 4G. This device, based on Samsung’s Galaxy S series, will be available on Sprint.com and in official retail stores on August 31st. (Sprint stores open at 8 A.M.) Radioshack, Best Buy, and Walmart will also carry the device. As for pricing, the device goes for $250 after a sending in a $100 mail-in-rebate and signing a new two-year contract. While a bit pricey, the timing couldn’t be better for Sprint considering that Verizon just divulged pricing and availability for the Motorola Droid 2 just yesterday.

To make the purchase process easier for new and existing Sprint customers, a special web page (www.sprint.com/epic4g) will allow reserving the device beginning this Friday (August, 13th). That should make finding a device easier, especially after the chaos that ensued with limited quantities of HTC EVO 4G units, which are still sold out in most stores. Customers to reserve a unit will have to complete their purchase by 6 P.M. on September 1st to avoid loosing their spot in line. Customers can choose to pick up the device in a local Sprint retail store as well.

A Look at NOOKstudy

Barnes and Noble, the worlds largest book retailer, just got much bigger with its release of NOOKstudy, a free software application that allows students to access and manage all their digital media at once. The company’s slogan says it all

A Look at Trillian 5 for Windows

Cerulean Studios, the makers of the popular and widely used Trillian chat client, recently announced the 5th major release of Trillian for Windows. Since 2000, Trillian has let users access multiple instant messaging services from a single application. The latest iteration brings a fully native Windows 7 integration, a new user interface, support for new social networks, and many other improvements.

Although designed and optimized for Windows 7, Trillian 5 also runs on XP and Vista. The new interface is highly scalable to accommodate different screen sizes whether it’s a low resolution netbook or a high resolution monitor. And for those that enjoy tweaking the application, Trillian 5 is highly customizable with tons of custom settings, themes, and more. And if you don’t run Windows, Cerulean Studios is also working on a Mac version, which is still in beta. And for smartphone users, a mobile iteration of Trillian is available for iOS devices: iPhone and iPod Touch. The company has apps for Android and BlackBerry phones in the works as well.

Thoughts On Facebook For Android

Last week, Facebook released a long-awaited revamp of their Android App. Prior to the update, the app’s feature set was rather embarrassing. It failed to offer a decent interface and lacked many features that Facebook’s official app for iOS and webOS devices had. When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, made the transition from an iPhone to an Android device, the blogosphere expected an immediate revamp. Fortunately, that’s exactly what happened.

According to Facebook’s change log, version 1.3 brings new features including “video playback, the ability to view and RSVP for events, respond to friend requests without leaving the app, and an updated homepage.” Much like the famous notification drawer on Android devices, the Facebook app adds another draggable “Notifications” bar at the bottom. Oddly, clicking on a notification redirect users to http://touch.facebook.com in Android’s native web browser. There’s also a photo reel at the bottom of the app’s home screen, which displays newly uploaded images. The updated app also makes it easier to update your status and search for friends.

While Android users initially welcomed these new features, forums were soon filled with complains. Due to a bug, the application began causing rapid battery drain. Many users resorted to uninstalling the app entirely. Three days later, Facebook officially recognized the issue and released an update (version 1.3.1) to solve the problem. And within a week, Facebook released yet another update, this time adding support for Android OS 1.5 devices and claiming to fix other bugs.

How Google Is Trying To Redefine Net Neutrality

The fight over net neutrality legislation currently being waged has many key players, of those, Google has on numerous occasions come out in support of net neutrality. On the other hand, Verizon, as well as other telecom companies, oppose the regulations. Now, in a surprising turn of events, both Google and Verizon have negotiated an agreement on broadband policy that undermines efforts from net neutrality advocates to keep the Internet fair.

Over the past several years, Google has been one of the main advocates for net neutrality on the business front. The company has played a significant role in helping the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gather support for strong net neutrality policy. The reported dealings with Verizon, however, now undermine any efforts from FCC chairman Julius Genachowski to issue tough new regulations of the broadband industry. That said, the manner in which Genachowski has responded to the situation is weak to say the least. Though he has expressed support, meaning strong net neutrality legislation, his forcefulness in the negotiation process has been non-existent. Therefore, Google and Verizon have been able to set the agenda by having conversations before a plan from the FCC is released.

Infographic: Epic 4G vs. iPhone 4 vs. Droid 2

Earlier this year, Skatter Tech brought you the massive EVO 4G vs. iPhone 4 vs. Droid X infographic. While only a few months have passed, both Sprint and Verizon have introduced the Samsung Epic 4G and the Motorola Droid 2, respectively. While the Android market share has overtaken Apple’s iPhone share, no single Android device has sold nearly as many units as the iPhone 4. Although we didn’t have enough time to throw the HTC EVO 4G and the Motorola Droid X into this lineup as well, if you folks want to see another infographic, feel free to let us know.

(Click to enlarge infographic. Feel free to blog or share with friends, but please credit our hard work.)

In Photos: Motorola Droid 2 (Verizon Wireless)

This morning, the Motorola Droid 2 showed up at our door step, courtesy of Verizon. Although it’s been just a little over a month since the Droid X launch, Motorola is back again with the successor to the extremely popular Droid we reviewed last year. If you haven’t heard, the Droid 2 features a 3.7 inch screen, a 1GHz processor, Mobile Hotspot for up to 5 devices, 8GB of internal storage, microSD expansion, a 5 megapixel camera, 720p video recording, and much more. Like the original Droid, the Droid 2 has a slide out QWERTY keyboard as well as an on-screen one. Swype has quickly taken over as the choice for virtual predictive keyboard and like the Droid X, it comes pre-installed on the Droid 2. In addition, this smartphone stands out since it is one of the first devices to ship with Android 2.2 (Froyo) running out of the box!

If you haven’t seen our Droid 2 vs Epic 4G infographic, that’s worth a glance. We also have a full in-depth review in the works, but in the meantime, check out the Motorola Droid 2 gallery:

#gallery-2

Chuck Lorre on iPhone 4: “it’s a s#*tty phone”

For those that haven’t heard, during The Big Bang Theory panel at Comic-Con 2010, the network announced a guest appearance by Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak. Naturally, during our interview with Chuck Lorre, the creator of the show, we asked him about his thoughts on Apple. While he initially admitted that he was a fan of Apple products, he soon made some interesting remarks about his iPhone 4. But before we get to that, during that same conversation, another reporter asked Loree whether there would be any Apple or iPhone 4 jokes in that upcoming Wozniak episode. Loree responded, “We are not going to make fun of Apple

In Photos: Samsung Epic 4G (Sprint)

It’s finally here! The folks at Sprint were kind enough to get their second 4G device, the Samsung Epic 4G, out to us. This phone sits amongst an array of Galaxy S devices including Verizon’s Fascinate, AT&T’s captivate, and T-Mobile’s Vibrant. Unlike it’s variants, Sprint Epic 4G touts a physical keyboard, a front-facing camera, and 4G connectivity. Let’s not forget the 4-inch Super AMOLED display, the 1GHz Hummingbird processor, Mobile Hotspot (5 devices max), 5 megapixel camera, or front-facing camera either. It even ships with a 16GB microSD card, DLNA sharing support, and sports the Samsung MediaHub for movie downloads.

While we aren’t done with our review yet, here’s a set of our very own product shots. If you weren’t around yesterday, be sure to check out our set of Motorola Droid 2 photos as well.

#gallery-2

Xbox Live Comes To Windows Phone 7

On Monday at the Gamescom 2010 conference in Germany, Microsoft revealed details surrounding Xbox Live for the upcoming Windows Phone 7 platform. While it is well-known that Microsoft has been planning to incorporate Xbox Live into the new mobile platform, not too much was known until now. However with their announcement came news of heavy integration with existing Xbox 360 consoles. For instance, users can connect to their Xbox Live accounts from their phone making it easy to chat with buddies or even play mobile games on the go.

“We’re really approaching this as we would a console, so we have to deliver the breadth of games and the quality people expect from Xbox,”  - Kevin Unangst, senior director of PC & mobile gaming.

Early games for the platform includes titles such as “Uno” and “Bejeweled,” but better graphics intensive games are expected soon after. The initial set of title offerings might be somewhat humoring to iPhone owners who have first person shooter games such as Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies available for sometime. Microsoft also plans to release companions to Xbox 360 games such as Halo: Waypoint, a Xbox Live hub where users can view Halo videos and get involved with the community. Hardcore fans will find games such as these a great way to stay update while away from their console. Unfortunately, that companion title won’t do much for game play. This is where other titles such as Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst comes in. Unlike the limited mobile Halo experience, this game will offer additional game play. While the type of game play will be entirely different, it will still be related. Other popular Xbox Live Arcade games such as Rocket Riot will also debut on the Windows Phone 7 platform.

Skype Mobile Reaches Verizon Feature Phones

often forget that there are still millions of cell phone users that aren’t running on Android, iOS, or another smart phone operating system. In fact, those smartphones only make up a fraction of the market. While the growth rate for WiFi enabled, mega-pixel pumping, touch screen sporting smartphones are tremendous, many companies forget to develop for a well-established market. Fortunately, Skype, in partnership with Verizon Wireless, didn’t forget about those people with affordable feature phones. Earlier today, they launched a mobile app for phones running on BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless).

The first set of Verizon Wireless 3G phones to support the Skype app will be the LG Chocolate Touch, Samsung Reality, and LG enV TOUCH, which we reviewed last year. While some Skype mobile iterations run on WiFi networks, the new BREW version runs entirely on Verizon’s 3G network. And that’s because those feature phones don’t have WiFi built in. Unfortunately, Verizon customers with only a calling and texting plan aren’t eligible for using Skype. Using the app requires either the 25MB / month data plan which goes for $10 / month or the unlimited $30 / month option. (We’re still awaiting word from Skype on whether using the app will drain the few megabytes of data offered to customers on the $10 monthly plan and we will post an update soon.)

Thoughts on the Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii has been a topic of discussion by hardcore and casual gamers alike. Around its 2006 release date, many people were concerned that Nintendo had chosen a different path than Microsoft and Sony. While those systems created massive gaming machines capable of running games with environments and characters that possessed more pixels than ever before, Nintendo chose create something different. This polarized the buyers quickly because the uncertainty of never being able to play a third party game released on PS3 and Xbox 360 because of the Wii’s inability to output at such high resolution compounded by a controller system that threw conventional controller logic out the window seemed like cause for worry. However, nearly four years after launch, the Nintendo Wii has sold 30 million units. Wii reached this milestone 15 months faster than the next bestselling console, the Xbox 360. It seems that any doubts people might have had before have been put to rest. Let’s see how they did it:

In Nintendo’s press release, the company stated that the Wii was able to open its market to a brand new audience and made gamers out of people that never picked up a controller.

Kids started playing with their parents and grandparents, people got up off the couch and got active, and seniors and baby boomers formed virtual bowling leagues.

Is Jailbreaking A PS3 Reality?

Remember when modchips first came out? You had to violate your Playstation in order to play games on burned disks? Well, I do, and what I remember most wasn’t the fact that my friends got to play the newest games for free. It was the complicated

SanDisk Announces Smallest 64GB Embedded SSD

Size is one of the most common themes in the tech industry. Usually, the smaller a device can be made without sacrificing too much performance, the better. This is especially true with regards to memory, as the physical size of memory can make or break the user experience. The memory business is also subject to rapid change, as physical size, speed, and capacity are never at a stand still. Following that trend, flash memory manufacturer SanDisk has released the fastest embedded Solid-State Drive (SSD) in its size.

Just how small is the SSD? With dimensions of 16 x 20 x 1.85 mm and weighing in at less than a gram, it is roughly the size of a postage stamp. Using conventional Serial ATA (SATA), the SSD is actually an Integrated SSD (ISSD) that can be embedded into other devices. Therefore, it’s not an external drive or a flash memory card, but is an actual integrated circuit (IC) that can be soldered directly onto a motherboard. It should be noted that you won’t actually be able to go out and buy one of these, however, this same technology might soon be introduced into many different types of devices. Some of those devices include smartphones, tablet computers, netbooks, and even routers.

In terms of capacity, the drive ranges from 4GB all the way to 64GB. Taking a step away from conventional drives, the embedded drive approach seems more promising, especially in mobile applications. The tradeoff between capacity and size is really unbeatable. Normally, 64GB SSD drives come in lengths between 50-76 mm long. In comparison, the ISSD has a length of only 16mm, making it almost 4 times smaller. Of course, when comparing disk drive sizes, there’s absolutely no contest. A 64GB hard-disk would dwarf an ISSD. Not to mention, there is a significant weight reduction as well compared to other drives making ISSD a perfect replacement.

AKG Perception 120 USB Microphone (Review)

While just about every new laptop and netbook come with a webcam and microphone built-in, these generally fail to offer acceptable quality. For webcams, some of you folks may choose to upgrade to a Logitech or Microsoft solution, a few of which we reviewed recently. But when it comes to audio, selecting a decent option is a bit more difficult. Using a professional condenser microphone with a laptop or desktop requires a powered stereo mixer plus with equipment to digitize audio or a XLR to USB converter. Fortunately, those looking to take their first step into professional audio no longer have to deal with multiple pieces of expensive equipment. AKG, a Harmon company, now offers an all-in-one solution that’s easy as plug-and-play.

Setup and Configuration

FM Radios To Become Standard In Mobile Devices?

When one thinks of smart phones, FM Radios aren’t generally the first thing that comes to mind. FM Radio’s are rarely used on smartphones since users can stream most content through the Internet. Recently, however, there has been a push by certain groups to revive the medium by utilizing the popularity of smart phones. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in coalition with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has put forth a proposal that would make it mandatory for all mobile devices in the U.S. to come equipped with FM receivers. While it might initially seem like a simple issue, the involved parties have conflicting interests making the proposal subject to a fair amount of debate.

These groups hope to increase their revenue by raising the fees FM radio stations pay to broadcast content. By also creating legislation that requires smart phones to come equipped with FM radios, the amount of potential listeners will increase, bringing in more money to these organizations. Naturally, the cell phone industry is strongly opposed to the idea because embedding an additional FM tuner module costs more and requires a considerable amount of testing.

These manufacturers have some legitimate complaints regarding the proposal. First, an FM module effects power consumption in phones, a constraint that is already considerably restrictive. Second, there are concerns that a government mandate, which requires FM equipment, is not the right way to address the issue. Finally, manufacturers argue that introducing new hardware is not profitable and forces them to add features that most consumers don’t demand anyway.

On the other hand, there are some good reasons for the inclusion of FM receivers on mobile devices. One such use would be for emergency broadcasting or situations where local governments would need to send out warnings to the public. This could be particularly effective in the event of a hurricane tornado warning. The situation is somewhat analogous to how emergency broadcasts work on TV. Local governments can suspend cable broadcasts temporarily to make important public announcement. Similarly, on mobile phones, FM Radios is a potential medium for emergency service broadcasts for the public. FM broadcasting is also accessible in more locations than 3G networks, making it a safer medium as well.

Thoughts On The Starcraft II Battle.Net

Recently, Blizzard released a sequel to the highly popular Real Time Strategy (RTS) video game, Starcraft. Over the past few days I’ve had a change to play Starcraft II with the new Battle.Net service and here’s my experience so far:

Blizzard’s hasn’t changed its original Starcraft formula: you still harvest Vespene gas and mine for minerals with Drones, SCVs or Probes. For those familiar with the game, Terran, Protoss, and Zerg races are still duking it out. If you’re like me and didn’t know much about the Starcraft universe, it’s worth checking out the tutorials that Blizzard includes. Everything from information on how to play the game to data on units and tech-trees is available.

Blizzard’s Battle.Net service matches you up to someone of comparable skills, similar to Xbox Live. To get started, players need to take a series of five placement matches against various foes. These matches determine your league: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. (

Plants vs Zombies Announced for Nintendo DS

Plants vs Zombies was one of the most addictive games released last year. Since its initial release on the PC and Mac, the game has been adapted to the iPhone, iPad, and is even coming to Xbox Live Arcade on September 8. But that wasn’t enough for Popcap, makers of Plants vs Zombies. The company announced it plans to release a Nintendo DS version early 2011.

For those who are not familiar, Plants vs Zombies is a tower defense-esque game. Players defend their home by placing down a variety of plants to ward off incoming waves of zombies. As with any tower defense game, progressing through the game will provide stronger plants as well different enemies. A variety of zombies attack including football players, Zamboni drivers, and pole-vaulters are challenges. To complete the game, one must defend all parts of the home. Progressing from the front yard, to the backyard, and finally, to the roof.

Popcap states that the DS adaptation will feature gameplay from the original, including Adventure, Survival, Puzzle modes, and even mini-games. In addition, the company states that it will also have some exclusive game content as well. Gamestop is now taking pre-orders for the game, which will retail for $19.99.

Although Plants vs Zombies is quite popular on iOS devices, I don’t believe that creating a DS version will yield the same results. The allure of the game was being able to play for 5-10 minutes such as when standing in line or riding the bus. Additionally, a game on a mobile device, ensures that the owner will have it with him at all times, making the $2.99 investment more tolerable. The price increase to $19.99 may be the downfall of the game, unless a significant amount of new content is added.

Links: Popcap Games

by Sharath Shroff on 8/23/2010 at 08:47 PM in Gaming & News

Grail To Close Two Active ETFs (RPQ, RFF)

ETFs Mentioned: ONEQ • RFF • RPQ • RPX

Grail Advisors has announced that it will close two actively-managed ETFs the firm currently offers through a partnership with RiverPark Capital. Trading in the RP Technology ETF (RPQ) and RP Financials ETF (RFF) will be suspended prior to the market open on August 30, and shareholders will have their shares redeemed for cash the following day. Grail and RiverPark will be covering all costs related to the shuttering of the funds.