Honda Fit EV rental costs only 2012, and the American press in the summer for $ 399 per month

If you're looking to buy a car to keep around for the long-haul (200,000 miles, anyone?), then Honda should probably near the top of your list. That's why we're a bit surprised to see that next year's all-electric Fit won't have a purchase option -- not initially, at least. The car does carry an MSRP of $36,625, but at this point that figure will be used for little more than to calculate the approximately $399 per month lease fee. If your credit's up to snuff and you end up behind the wheel, expect the 20-kWh lithium-ion battery to provide an estimated city range of 123 miles, with a combined rating of 76 miles. The on-board 6.6-kW 32-amp charger juices up the battery in as little as three hours with level-two EVSE. You can expect the all-blue...

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Posted in: Automotive News,Honda,Honda Fit

BlackBerry optimistic going great, there cutting the target price of $ 300 in Canada

PlayBooks haven't exactly been flying off the shelves... anywhere. Not even in RIM's native Canada. But that might actually change over the nex few days as BestBuy, Walmart, Staples and Future Shop have chopped $300 off the price of the QNX-based slate. The sale lasts from November 16th to the 22nd in Quebec, and the 18th to the 24th in the rest of Canada. Now, they're probably not going to eclipse the iPad in sales anytime soon, but a $200 16GB PlayBook is a much more compelling proposition than a $500 one. The WiFi only 32GB and 64GB models are also being discounted to $300 and $400 respectively which, in case you're not mathematically inclined, means the 64GB BlackBerry tablet will actually cost less than the 16GB version normally does....

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Posted in: BB Playbook,BlackBerry,Feature News,Gadget News

Protest the Wall Street closing bid demontrans secured authorities NY

New York police on Thursday prevented protesters from shutting down Wall Street with an Occupy Wall Street rally that led to over 100 arrests but drew fewer than expected demonstrators. Hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters took to the streets in rainy New York and elsewhere in the United States for a day of action seen as a test of the momentum of the two-month-old grassroots movement against economic inequality. In New York, organizers and city officials had expected tens of thousands to turn out. "We certainly want to see more people mobilize and show up," said Occupy Wall Street spokesman Jeff Smith, who nevertheless said there was "a fantastic turnout." Police barricaded the narrow streets around Wall Street, home to the New York...

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Posted in: Business News,Stock News,Wall Street

Chip industry growth outlook recovery after slowing

The semiconductor industry is looking at first signs of recovery as it struggles to clear inventories of unsold chips stemming from a slowdown in consumer spending, industry executives said on Thursday. The industry hit a slump as demand for consumer gadgets has slowed in Europe and elsewhere due to economic uncertainties at a time when vendors have invested heavily in the new production gear. Chip designer ARM said it was optimistic that reductions in inventory by device makers, which is dampening demand for semiconductors, would be short-lived. "We are seeing some ARM licensees looking beyond that and the body language is more positive than a quarter ago," Chief Executive Warren East said on Thursday. French chipmaker STMicroelectronics...

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Posted in: Business News,Business Technology,Chip,Chip industry

UK sells bailed out bank Northern Rock to Virgin

(Reuters - Rate Information) - Britain has agreed to sell nationalized lender Northern Rock to Virgin Money, the banking arm of Richard Branson's Virgin empire, in a loss-making deal that marks the start of the government's exit from banks it bailed out in the 2008 crisis. The disposal will fetch between 747 million pounds and 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion - $1.6 billion), Britain's finance ministry said on Thursday, representing a 400 million pound loss on the 1.4 billion pounds in equity pumped into the lender by taxpayers. "The sale of Northern Rock to Virgin Money is an important first step in getting the British taxpayer out of the business of owning banks," Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said in a statement. Virgin Money,...

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Posted in: Bank,Business News,Deal News

File Yelp for $ 100 Million IPO

Joining the parade of social Internet companies lining up to go public, online review website Yelp has filed for a $100 million IPO. Yelp is looking to add to the likes of Groupon and LinkedIn, which were the largest of the social web companies to list this year. Zynga is also expected to price soon. Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Jefferies are leading the Yelp deal, with Allen & Co. and Oppenheimer also participating. For the nine months ending Sept. 30, Yelp generated $58.4 million, up 80% from $32.5 million in the year-ago period. The company had a net loss of $7.6 million in the first nine months of 2011, slightly down from $8.5 million in the year-ago period. Yelp has more than 22 million reviews and 61 million monthly unique visitors,...

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Posted in: Business News,Economy news,IPO

China's life just got a new regulatory IPO in Shanghai

(Reuters - Rate Information and News) - New China Life Insurance Co Ltd, 15 percent owned by Swiss insurer Zurich Financial (ZURN.VX), has received regulatory approval for the Shanghai leg of its planned $2.6 billion Shanghai-Hong Kong dual listing, local media reported on Wednesday. In a widely expected move, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has given its nod to China's third-biggest life insurer's plans to sell up to 158.54 million shares in Shanghai, the 21st Century Business Herald reported, citing sources. The CSRC, which is expected to announce the outcome of its review later on Wednesday, was not immediately available for comment. The company, controlled by Central Huijin, a unit of China's sovereign wealth fund,...

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Posted in: Business News,China,Deal News,IPO