Apple Sells 2 Million Copies of Leopard

Hello, I’m a PC. And I’m a Mac. — LD

CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Apple(R) has announced that it sold (or delivered in the case of maintenance agreements) over two million copies of Mac OS(R) X Leopard since its release on Friday, far outpacing the first-weekend sales of Mac OS X Tiger, which was previously the most successful OS release in Apple's history. Sales included copies sold at Apple's retail stores, Apple Authorized Resellers, the online Apple Store(R), under maintenance agreements and bundled with new Mac(R) computers. Leopard is the sixth major release of Mac OS X and is packed with more than 300 new features.

"Early indications are that Leopard will be a huge hit with customers," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Leopard's innovative features are getting great reviews and making more people than ever think about switching to the Mac."

Leopard introduces Time Machine, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac; a redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs*; Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock; and major enhancements to Mail and iChat(R).

Pricing & Availability
Mac OS X version 10.5 Leopard is available through the Apple Store (http://www.apple.com), at Apple's retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $129 (US) for a single user license. The Mac OS X Leopard Family Pack is a single-household, five-user license for a suggested retail price of $199 (US). Volume and maintenance pricing is available from Apple. Leopard requires a minimum of 512MB of RAM and is designed to run on any Macintosh(R) computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5 or G4 (867 MHz or faster) processor. Full system requirements can be found at http://www.apple.com/macosx/techspecs.

* Requires an additional hard drive sold separately.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market this year with its revolutionary iPhone.

(C) 2007 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Apple Store and iChat are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE: Apple Inc.

Eight Man-friendly Brands Unite

Manly men? The very same. — LD

ManCrib.com Launches as the Internet Gift Haven for Men

BENTON HARBOR, Mich -- "Guy's guys" who were previously left out in the cold when it came to gift registries and giving, now have a home on the Internet -- http://www.ManCrib.com. The ManCrib.com registry site, launching today, will be the internet parallel to that one place in the home -- garage, den or basement -- where a man can be a man.

The site will provide men with a one-stop-shop to ensure they receive the manly gifts they really want such as work benches, HDTV's, tools and grills. ManCrib.com will offer the perfect gift for any occasion, including holidays, birthdays, Father's Day, "man-registering" for a wedding or house warmings.

The leaders in garage organization, Gladiator(R) GarageWorks are the masterminds behind the site, with the Whirlpool(R) brand serving as the site's title sponsor. Other popular brands joining Gladiator, as founding category exclusive partners include:

-- Panasonic (Consumer Electronics)
-- Steiner Sports (Sports Memorabilia)
-- Channellock (Hand Tools)
-- KitchenAid brand (Grills)
-- Wayne Dalton (Garage Door Openers and Doors)
-- Crocs (Footwear)
-- Whirlpool brand (Home Appliances)

"Gladiator(R) GarageWorks is thrilled to partner with several other popular man-friendly brands to provide the ultimate Internet gift-giving resource for guys," noted Lou Ann Schafer, Senior Marketing Manager, Gladiator(R) GarageWorks. "ManCrib.com can once and for all put an end to the dreaded tie, and ensure guys everywhere receive the gifts they really want. We look forward to adding more category-exclusive male brands to the ManCrib registry shortly."

Upon login, users will be invited to create a list of manly stuff that they can easily share, display and send to prospective gift givers. Through the site, gift buyers can purchase gifts, check items off from a member's event-specific gift list and rest assured they've purchased a gift a man really wants. In an effort not to limit registrants, men will also be able to add and link to other manly items not featured on the site with limited functionality.

For additional information on the site or for information on how your man- friendly brand can be featured on the site, visit, http://www.ManCrib.com.

About Gladiator(R) GarageWorks
Components in the versatile Gladiator(R) GarageWorks family of products include the Jumbo Cabinet, Modular GearBox, Modular Gear Drawer, the Tall GearBox, Tall GearBox Locker, Trash Compactor, GearTrack(R) Channels, GearWall(R) Panels, Chillerator(R) Refrigerator, Freezerator(R) Convertible Refrigerator Freezer, Roll Flooring, Tile Flooring, GearTrack(R)Pack and a variety of hooks and baskets. These ultimate garage organization products including the new Jumbo Cabinet will be available either through your local garage dealer, Sears, Lowe's or via http://www.gladiatorgw.com.

SOURCE: Gladiator(R) GarageWorks

Save the Earth — Put on a Sweater

Tree-hugger! It isn't easy being green. — LD

SC Johnson's environmental Web site
shows families how to save money
while protecting the planet

RACINE, Wis. -- As temperatures dip, budget-conscious family members can expect to fight an age-old battle: whether to put on a sweater or raise the thermostat. Well, take heart: piling on layers does more than just reduce heating bills; it can help save the earth. Moving your thermostat down two degrees during cold months and up two degrees in summer can prevent as much as 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the earth's atmosphere -- the approximate equivalent of GHG emissions generated by a car driven from Cleveland to Los Angeles.

Adjusting your thermostat is one of many simple tips for families available on SC Johnson's new environmental Web site, http://www.scjohnson.com/environment On the site's Using Less Energy While Cleaning section learn to reduce electricity consumption by unplugging appliances when not in use since some appliances can draw electricity even when turned off. Visitors can also take a virtual tour of a house to learn how environmental stewardship begins at home, http://www.scjohnson.com/environment/doing_1.asp

"Conservation can happen in every room of the house," said Kelly M. Semrau, vice president of Global Public Affairs and Communication for SC Johnson. "For instance, many people aren't aware that showers can account for two-thirds of a home's water-heating costs. By taking SC Johnson's virtual home tour, families can discover how to reduce 300 pounds of carbon dioxide annually by installing a low-flow showerhead. They'll also learn how to cut their energy bill."

In addition to useful tips, SC Johnson's environmental Web site provides fun, interactive activities. There's a quiz to challenge your knowledge about social responsibility, a word-search game to test your identification skills, and a video that demonstrates how SC Johnson creates green energy from the waste methane produced by a public landfill. These are all located on the Doing Your Part section http://scjohnson.com/environment/doing_4.asp

The user-friendly Web site also provides an in-depth look at SC Johnson's progress in the following four key areas of environmental, social and corporate responsibility:

-- Growing Greener Products: Highlights SC Johnson's commitment to providing environmentally responsible products including the company's award-winning, patented Greenlist(TM) process, which transformed the way raw materials are selected and used
-- Conserving Critical Resources: Provides information about the company's continued commitment to finding alternative energy sources; outlines aggressive emission reduction goals
-- Preventing Dangerous Diseases: Features SC Johnson's work to help protect families from insect-borne diseases like malaria, dengue and asthma in high-risk areas around the world
-- Creating Stronger Communities: Presents company programs that help to improve the quality of life for families around the globe, from SC Johnson's groundbreaking work that creates partnerships with consumers in some of the world's poorest communities to volunteerism to philanthropy

While on the Web site, visitors can download SC Johnson's 2007 Public Report, Doing What's Right, Doing Our Part. SC Johnson's Public Report captures insights on sustainable development through third-party Q&As on topics from the environment to social progress. For example, Janet Ranganathan, from the World Resources Institute shares her insights on the importance of addressing climate change. The report also provides information on SC Johnson's sustainable development initiatives, including reaching more than 600,000 people in South Africa with malaria education, giving more than $160 million globally in philanthropic contributions toward efforts that improve quality of life, and being named among the Top 10 of FORTUNE magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work for in America for the third year in a row.

SC Johnson is a family-owned and managed business dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, personal care and insect control. It markets such well-known brands as EDGE(R), GLADE(R), OFF!(R), PLEDGE(R), RAID(R), SCRUBBING BUBBLES(R), SHOUT(R), WINDEX(R) and ZIPLOC(R) in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN(R), BAYGON(R), BRISE(R), ECHO(R), KABIKILLER(R), KLEAR(R), and MR. MUSCLE(R). The 121-year old company, with more than $7.5 billion in sales, employs approximately 12,000 people globally and sells products in more than 110 countries.

SOURCE: SC Johnson

Wirelessly Upload to 17 Online Photo Destinations

From my InstaMatic? I think you gotta be digital. — LD

Eye-Fi Users Can Now Wirelessly Upload Photos
Directly to Online Photo Sharing, Printing and
Social Networking Sites

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Eye-Fi (http://www.eye.fi) today announced that its Eye-Fi Card will allow users to automatically upload photos from their digital camera directly to 17 online photo sharing, printing, social networking and blogging sites. The Eye-Fi Card went on sale today at online retailers including Amazon.com, Buy.com and Walmart.com. See release entitled: "Eye-Fi Unveils World's First Wireless Memory Card for Digital Cameras."

Eye-Fi users are free to select from popular online photo destinations including KODAK Gallery, Shutterfly, Wal-Mart, Snapfish, Photobucket, Facebook, Webshots, Picasa Web Albums, SmugMug, Flickr, Fotki, TypePad, VOX, dotPhoto, Phanfare, Sharpcast and Gallery.

"We've eliminated the hassle and made it simple for users to do more with their photos," said Ziv Gillat, co-founder and vice president of marketing and sales for Eye-Fi. "By partnering with 17 of the top online photo destinations, we're giving users the greatest choice and flexibility to do what they want with their photos - from posting to a blog, printing them for relatives, or sharing them online with friends."

"KODAK Gallery is committed to helping people tell their stories and we are thrilled that the new Eye-Fi Card will help people free their pictures from their cameras so they can share them with friends and family," said Mark Cook, worldwide director of marketing for KODAK Gallery. "We're excited that our customers can now spend less time dealing with the upload process and more time creating beautiful and meaningful personalized holiday items like cards, calendars, photo books, and more."

Eye-Fi users can also choose from top social networking, digital media and blogging sites including Photobucket, Facebook, TypePad and VOX.

"User-generated content is now a defining feature of the online experience, especially when it comes to linking and sharing that content across social networks," said Alex Welch, president of Photobucket, one of the Web's most popular creative hubs. "Eye-Fi has made it even easier for Photobucket users to express themselves, and share photos with their community of friends and family."

Eye-Fi's 2GB wireless SD memory card was announced today, and is available at major online retailers including Amazon.com, Buy.com and Walmart.com for $99.99 USD. It's also available from the online stores of J&R, B&H Photo and Video, dotPhoto and Photojojo. For more information, please visit http://www.eye.fi/.

About Eye-Fi, Inc.
Founded in 2005, the company is dedicated to building products and services that help consumers navigate, nurture and share their visual memories. Eye-Fi's patent-pending technology works with Wi-Fi networks to automatically send photos from a digital camera to online, in-home and retail destinations. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., the company's investors include Opus Capital and Shasta Ventures. More information is available at http://www.eye.fi/

About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the world's foremost imaging innovator. With sales of $10.7 billion in 2006, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work. Consumers use Kodak's system of digital
and traditional products and services to take, print and share their pictures anytime, anywhere; Businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using KODAK solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging; and Creative Professionals rely on KODAK technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images. More information about Kodak is available at http://www.kodak.com

About Photobucket
Photobucket is one of the Web's most popular hubs for managing media. Photobucket's users upload, link to, share and search for billions of personal photos, graphics, and videos every day. The company was founded in 2003 and acquired by Fox Interactive Media, Inc., a division of News Corp., in July 2007. The company is headquartered in Denver, Colo. with offices in Palo Alto, Calif., and is available online at http://photobucket.com/

SOURCE: Eye-Fi, Inc.

Massive Black Hole Smashes Record

New blockbuster movie? I think it has something to do with the deficit. — LD
GREENBELT, Md. -- Using two NASA satellites, astronomers have discovered the heftiest known black hole to orbit a star. The new black hole, with a mass 24 to 33 times that of our Sun, is more massive than scientists expected for a black hole that formed from a dying star.

The newly discovered object belongs to the category of "stellar-mass" black holes. Formed in the death throes of massive stars, they are smaller than the monster black holes found in galactic cores. The previous record holder for largest stellar-mass black hole is a 16-solar-mass black hole in the galaxy M33, announced on October 17.

"We weren't expecting to find a stellar-mass black hole this massive," says Andrea Prestwich of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., lead author of the discovery paper in the November 1 Astrophysical Journal Letters. "It seems likely that black holes that form from dying stars can be much larger than we had realized."

The black hole is located in the nearby dwarf galaxy IC 10, 1.8 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia. Prestwich's team could measure the black hole's mass because it has an orbiting companion: a hot, highly evolved star. The star is ejecting gas in the form of a wind.

Some of this material spirals toward the black hole, heats up, and gives off powerful X-rays before crossing the point of no return.

In November 2006, Prestwich and her colleagues observed the dwarf galaxy with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The group discovered that the galaxy's brightest X-ray source, IC 10 X-1, exhibits sharp changes in X-ray brightness. Such behavior suggests a star periodically passing in front of a companion black hole and blocking the X-rays, creating an eclipse. In late November, NASA's Swift satellite confirmed the eclipses and revealed details about the star's orbit. The star in IC 10 X-1 appears to orbit in a plane that lies nearly edge-on to Earth's line of sight, The Swift observations, as well as observations from the Gemini Telescope in Hawaii, told Prestwich and her group how fast the two stars go around each other.

Calculations showed that the companion black hole has a mass of at least 24 Suns.

There are still some uncertainties in the black hole's mass estimate, but as Prestwich notes, "Future optical observations will provide a final check. Any refinements in the IC 10 X-1 measurement are likely to increase the black hole's mass rather than reduce it."

The black hole's large mass is surprising because massive stars generate powerful winds that blow off a large fraction of the star's mass before it explodes. Calculations suggest massive stars in our galaxy leave behind black holes no heavier than about 15 to 20 Suns.

The IC 10 X-1 black hole has gained mass since its birth by gobbling up gas from its companion star, but the rate is so slow that the black hole would have gained no more than 1 or 2 solar masses.

"This black hole was born fat; it didn't grow fat," says astrophysicist Richard Mushotzky of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., who is not a member of the discovery team.

The progenitor star probably started its life with 60 or more solar masses. Like its host galaxy, it was probably deficient in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. In massive, luminous stars with a high fraction of heavy elements, the extra electrons of elements such as carbon and oxygen "feel" the outward pressure of light and are thus more susceptible to being swept away in stellar winds. But with its low fraction of heavy elements, the IC 10 X-1 progenitor shed comparatively little mass before it exploded, so it could leave behind a heavier black hole.

"Massive stars in our galaxy today are probably not producing very heavy stellar-mass black holes like this one," says coauthor Roy Kilgard of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. "But there could be millions of heavy stellar-mass black holes lurking out there that were produced early in the Milky Way's history, before it had a chance to build up heavy elements."

For images related to this story, please visit:

HYPERLINK

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/starsgalaxies/overweight_hole.html

SOURCE: NASA

5 Finalists for 2008 Green Car of the Year

Cars AND the environment! You must be beside yourself! We are. — LD

Jay Leno Joins Jurors
Who Will Select the Winner
of the Auto Industry's
top Environmental Honor

LOS ANGELES -- The winner of the 2008 Green Car of the Year(R) award has been narrowed to five nominees, according to an announcement by Green Car Journal, the leading automotive environmental magazine. The winner will be announced on Nov. 15 during Press Days at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/laautoshow/30319/

"There has been significant movement in the auto industry toward making mainstream models 'greener' in recent years, with notable milestones in fuel efficiency and low emissions," says Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal. "This is especially evident with hybrids, where gasoline-electric hybrid technology is being applied to popular models in the most important vehicle classes where consumers are shopping."

This mainstreaming of hybrid technology is reflected in the five nominees for the 2008 Green Car of the Year(R) award: The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, and Saturn Aura Hybrid.

"The fact that all five Green Car of the Year(R) nominees are hybrids this year is a clear indication that the auto industry's significant investment of time and resources into gasoline-electric hybrid technology is paying off," explains Cogan. "Hybrids were not a specific focus during our nomination process. There are many pathways to achieving efficiency and emissions goals, and hybrids, while popular, represent just one of these."

Each of the nominees achieves "firsts" in specific ways. All, of course, feature fuel efficiency gains and offer extremely low emissions with advanced technologies used to further increase their environmental performance. The Chevrolet Tahoe, a popular larger SUV, is now much more fuel efficient through the use of an all-new two-mode hybrid technology.

Mazda's Tribute Hybrid is this auto maker's first-ever gasoline-electric hybrid model and exemplifies the continuing evolution of fuel efficient hybrid technology shared with related brands. The Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura hybrids showcase affordable hybrid technology available in mass-market sedans. Nissan's Altima Hybrid represents this brand's first-ever use of hybrid technology to blend higher efficiencies and performance in its popular sport sedan.

Dozens of potential nominees weighed in during the selection process.

Green Car Journal editors considered vehicles employing all fuels and technologies in the effort to raise the bar in environmental performance, including high efficiency gasoline internal combustion, advanced diesel, hybrids, and vehicles capable of running on alternative fuels. In the Green Car of the Year(R) program, nominees must stand out as exemplary models that forward environmental performance in meaningful and quantifiable ways.

Market significance and "newness" are factors. All nominees must be on sale by January 1st of the award year.

Jurors include leaders of the nation's top environmental organizations,
including Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club; Christopher Flavin, president of Worldwatch Institute; Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society; and Jonathan Lash, President of the World Resources Institute. Also, Jay Leno noted auto enthusiast and host of the "Tonight Show" as well as automotive icon Carroll Shelby join four Green Car Journal editors to round out the 2008 jury.

About Green Car of the Year
The Green Car of the Year(R) award is an important part of Green Car Journal's mission to showcase environmental progress in the auto industry.

Since 1992, Green Car Journal has focused on the intersection of automobiles, energy, and environment, first with an industry newsletter and then with an award-winning auto enthusiast magazine. Today, the magazine is considered the premier source of information on high fuel efficiency, low emission, advanced technology, and alternative fuel vehicles. For more information, visit http://www.greencar.com. Green Car of the Year(R) is a registered trademark of Green Car Journal and RJ Cogan Specialty Publications Group, Inc.

About the LA Auto Show
For the second year in a row, the LA Auto Show will be held in the fall. The show opens for media only Nov. 14 and 15. Public days run from Nov. 16-25 including Thanksgiving Day. For general information, visit http://www.LAautoshow.com.

SOURCE: LA Auto Show

Snapple Squeezes Tropical Flavors into Juice Drinks

Whatever happened to Snapple? Great question . . . I don't know. — LD

PLANO, Texas -- Snapple, Made from the best stuff
on Earth(R), today announces a new line of "Good For You" juice drinks that boast unique fruit flavor combinations from super fruits including all-natural ingredients with added vitamins, and low-calorie varieties. The invigorating taste of the Snapple Super Premium Juice Drinks will transport your taste buds to a tropical paradise.

"Our new Super Premium Juice Drinks will contribute to a healthy immune system and provide the metabolism boosting benefits consumers look for, complete with plenty of the great taste that they expect from Snapple," said Bryan Mazur, vice president and general manager of Snapple for Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages. "The exciting flavor combinations of the new Snapple Super Premium Juice Drinks include all-natural ingredients with added vitamins, and low-calorie options provide even more choices for Snapple enthusiasts."

Snapple Super Premium Juice Drinks offer consumers the benefits they want in a unique variety with real fruit juice and all natural flavors. The new line has varieties that boost metabolism and contain vitamins to benefit the immune system. The Snapple Super Premium Juice Drinks is available in four distinctive and tempting "Good for You" flavors – the Goji Punch and Peach Mangosteen, and the low-calorie Noni Berry and Kiwi Pear.

The Goji Punch, created from the delicious flavor of Goji berry originally found in the Himalayas, is packed with Vitamin A and antioxidant Vitamin E. The fragrant and tropical Peach Mangosteen flavor is derived from the 'Queen of Fruits' and supports a healthy immune system with Vitamin A and antioxidant Vitamins C and E. Low-calorie Noni Berry, derived from the flavors of exotic Polynesian fruit, and low-calorie Kiwi Pear flavor will boost both your metabolism and your mood with caffeine and the antioxidant EGCG, and at just 10 calories per serving-now that's refreshing!

Already the number one Super Premium Tea brand, Snapple owns a 71 percent market share of the Super Premium Tea segment and is responsible for 96 percent of the growth that the category experienced in 2007 (up 168 percent overall).(*) The launch of Snapple Juice Drinks marks the company's first offering in the Super Premium Juice category, which is up 14 percent since last year.

Available in tall, slim 17.5 oz bottles, Snapple Super Premium Juice Drinks can be found in major retail, grocery and convenience stores nationwide at a suggested retail price of $1.39. To learn more about Snapple Super Premium Juice Drinks and other Snapple products, visit http://www.Snapple.com.

About Snapple
Snapple is the leader in great-tasting premium beverages. Founded in 1972 by three childhood friends, Snapple got its start in Greenwich Village, New York and is now available throughout the United States and 80 countries worldwide. Snapple prides itself on developing, producing and marketing a wide variety of premium beverages, including ready-to-drink iced teas, juice drinks, 100% vitamin-fortified juices and water. Known for its down-to-earth approach to marketing, Snapple continues to delight fans across the world. In 2003, Snapple made history by becoming the official iced tea of New York City.

About Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages
Snapple is a leading brand in the beverage portfolio of Plano, Texas-based Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (CSAB), a subsidiary division of Cadbury Schweppes plc (NYSE: CSG). CSAB is one of the largest producers of soft drinks and premium beverages in the Americas. CSAB's brand portfolio includes Dr Pepper, 7UP, Snapple, Accelerade, Mott's Apple Juice and Sauce, RC Cola, A&W Root Beer, Sunkist Soda, Canada Dry, Hawaiian Punch, Schweppes, Diet Rite, Clamato, Mr & Mrs T Mixers, Holland House Mixers, Rose's, Mistic, Yoo-hoo, Orangina, IBC, Stewart's, Nantucket Nectars and other well-known consumer brands. For additional information on CSAB and its products, visit http://www.brandspeoplelove.com.

(*)AC Nielsen All Outlets Combined, Super Premium Tea Segment, Volume Sales 52 wks through 10/6/07

SOURCE: Snapple