Filed under: Products and services, Launches, Competitive strategy, Apple Inc (AAPL), Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI), Tech for the rest of us, Technology
Slacker is my favorite of the Internet-radio services I've tried. The ability to customize is vast, the programming is top-notch (I favor 90s Alternative and the oxymoronic Indies Hits), and the interruptions are few and far between, even for the free service. Slacker is the primary unit of the privately traded Slacker, Inc., which was officially launched earlier this year. Throwing its hat into the ring of portable music players -- competing with the likes of Apple, Inc. (NASAQ: AAPL)'s iPod and the Sirius Satellite Radio Inc (NASDAQ: SIRI)'s Stiletto -- Slacker is introducing a portable device, perfect for listeners who aren't tied to their computers. Instead of broadcasting via a WiFi connection, the Slacker device is simply loaded with new tunes (from the user's favorite artists and channels) every time it is synched with the user's PC.
An article in USA Today this week notes that "You have little control over what Slacker selects, beyond identifying what artists you like... but [Slacker CEO Dennis] Mudd says consumers don't care."
Continue reading New iPod Competition: Fans of Slacker can now take music on the go
Most of the business media have a story today about market concerns that 
Stocks futures were lower this morning, indicating stocks could continue yesterday's bearish mood ahead of CPI report today as well as several other key indicators. Meanwhile, investors remain concerned about the credit markets, with General Electric, Barclays and possible UBS the most recent companies to announce losses. A slowdown in the tech sector has also been a concern lately after several companies warned with Applied Materials adding its own warning just yesterday. Rising oil prices, which has caused the late selling in Wednesday's session, is another concern.
In the latest string of write-downs caused by the mortgage mess, the Wall Street Journal reports that .gif){kind=logo}
TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says you have to be bullish on the commodity when we're using more of it than ever, it's running out and $100 a barrel doesn't even sound crazy anymore.
Composite materials -- putting two building materials together to make them stronger than they would be on their own -- have been around for as long as mankind has been building structures. But we've come a long way since we first figured out that straw and mud together can make a brick, and modern composite materials, like carbon fiber, are becoming increasingly important in a number of technology markets, especially the aeronautics field. 
If you're an investor in 
A white knight has come to the rescue of homeowners about to lose their homes to foreclosure. A federal district court in Ohio 
Tonight after the close, the coffee king of Seattle will unleash its fourth-quarter earnings report upon an anxious public. The consensus opinion on Wall Street is that 
Just imagine if hedge fund giant 
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JCPenney
It's not every season that Wall Street analysts greet losses or write-downs with smiles, but such is the case in the 'subprime watch' era.
Speaking at the 
had been looking for 13 cents and $189.3 million. Management also offered FY07 EPS guidance of "at least" 53 cents (53 cent consensus) and said that FY08 earnings would grow by about 20%. CIBC subsequently remarked that the firm's solid report and positive outlook stood out in a casual dining landscape littered with earnings and guidance disappointments. TXRH shares popped on the news and have since been consolidating the gain in a bullish "flag" pattern. Stocks frequently exit flags moving in the same direction they were traveling on entry. In this case, that would be to the upside.