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Cottage-Sales.com - Looking for a cottage or summer home in Canada? You've come to the right place. We have valuable background information on cottage sales and what to look for in a summer home. If you've done any searching for cottages or summer homes, you know this market changes daily. Cottage-Sales.com is a member of the Linknet network of websites. RIM May Win the Battle but Lose the War Linknet News Daily Digest December 24, 2005 - Research in Motion (RIM), the Canadian maker of the BlackBerry is favored by more than 2 million American customers for wireless email delivery. But its patent battle with NTP Inc. is giving competitors a chance to make gains in this very lucrative market. RIM is hampered by a threat from a U.S. district court judge to halt service as early as February unless they come to terms with NTP. Most observers think either a settlement will be reached or some other way will be found to forestall the shutdown since so many government and corporate workers rely on their Blackberries. But the game of chicken being played by RIM has some big customers a bit jumpy. For example, UPS and Fedex have both been talking to RIM competitor Good Technology about BlackBerry alternatives. That means that even if RIM wins over NTP or settles with them, they will likely lose market share to competitors. Those competitors also include Palm, Seven Networks, Microsoft, Nokia and Motorola. Both Nokia and Motorola will be rolling out Blackberry-like devices in the 1st quarter of 2006, and they may have tighter cell-phone integration than the Blackberry. Nokia and Good have both taken licenses with NTP to avoid the kind of litigation RIM is currently engaged in. So far RIM has dominated this market because they have provided a reliable, unique service. But customers will switch if they can find an equally reliable service at a lower cost -- and minus the ever-present threat of a blackout. Technology Items Figure Large in UK Gift Giving Not surprisingly, popular technology items such as MP3 players like the new Nano and video iPods are popular gift items in the UK this year. Game consoles are also very big, especially PSPs and the new Microsoft X-Box 360. According to the British Retail Consortium holiday spending in Britain will be about 14 billion gbp in the two week holiday period. That includes food, drink, gifts, travel, and going out. But presents account for more than two thirds of the total. The average British household will spend about 660 gbp on gifts, mostly for children. That averages out to about 250 gbp per child. Apple continues to make innovative products, capture market share Apple Computer, maker of the iMac, iPod, and originator of iTunes distribution has had a banner year in 2005. The iPod, first introduced in 2001, sold more than 22 million units in 2005 in all its variations, including the new video playing iPod. And iTunes has turned out to be not only a highly profitable venture for Apple, but a powerful wedge concept. iTunes gave Apple the base for expansion into downloadable television shows for viewing on computers or video iPods. Apple is expected to sign more deals with audience hungry TV networks in the coming year. With the gradual convergence of these Apple products and services, it is only a matter of time before a combination of Apple products will be marketed as digital multimedia hubs for the home. This will likely be a Mac mini outfitted with an iPod dock and/or TV tuner. Equipped with anticipated wireless internet connectivity this will make a dynamite product. Even Apple's computer division is experiencing growth. Most industry watchers think this is because of the "halo effect" of the iPod. People buy an iPod, are impressed with the technology and styling, and are more open to considering other Apple products such as home computers. Apple's market share of personal computer shipments in 2005 went up to 4.4 percent in the U.S. -- the first time they have cracked the 4% mark in many years. Of the 4.5 million computers Apple shipped worldwide, it is estimated that 1 million went to former Windows users. These numbers should also be given a boost by Apple's announced conversion to Intel microprocessors. This should result in lower prices -- and make Apple computers more competitive than they have ever been.
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