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Google proposed, then abandoned, a website tipping feature
Google had been working on a tipping tool that let readers donate small sums of money to their favorite sites.
IRS reminds 10,000 taxpayers that cryptocurrency is subject to taxes
By the end of August, an estimated 10,000 taxpayers will receive letters from the IRS warning them that they may owe back taxes on unreported cryptocurrency earnings. While it might not be immediately obvious, you must include cryptocurrency earnings when you file federal taxes. As with tax evasion for traditional currency, anyone convicted of evading crypto taxes could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Pew: Twitter users are younger and more Democratic than most Americans
A recent report from the Pew Research Center says Twitter users are younger, more highly educated, have higher incomes and are more likely to identify as Democrats compared to the general public. They're also more likely to support immigration and see evidence of racial- and gender-based inequality in society. This might be surprising given how loud opposing views can appear on the platform.
Google has the best-paid CEO in the US
Google is an enormous company by most standards, but it now has one more notch under its belt: the US' best-paid CEO. A company SEC filing has revealed that Sundar Pichai received the equivalent of $199 million in stock earlier in February, giving him a total $650 million stake in Alphabet. He won't get to cash that in all at once (the shares vest in quarterly phases through 2019), but that's a lot of money for three years' work. In comparison, Apple's Tim Cook got "just" $376.2 million when he assumed the CEO role.
Square Enix reports year-over-year increase in sales, income
Square Enix reported 35.4 billion yen ($308.6 million) in net sales for the second quarter, ending September 30. While that represents a 6.3 percent drop from the company's first quarter results, its six-month net sales of 73.1 billion yen ($637.9 million) is an 18.6 percent boost year-over-year. As for Square Enix's digital entertainment and gaming division, it saw 43.8 billion yen in net sales ($382 million) for the six month period, a 43.1 percent increase year-over-year. The publisher's net income also dropped 32.7 percent for the quarter to 2.3 billion yen ($20 million). Its half-year measures for net income reached 5.7 billion yen ($49.7 million), a 118.8 percent increase over the same six-month period last year. Square Enix is projecting between 150 billion and 160 billion yen ($1.3 billion - $1.4 billion) in net sales for the full year, ending in March 2015, and between 7 billion and 10.5 billion yen ($61 million - $91.6 million) in net income. [Image: Square Enix]
EA's revenue climbs to $1.21 billion in Q1 2015
Electronic Arts reported a net revenue of $1.21 billion for the first quarter of the fiscal 2015 year (a three-month period that ended on June 30). That represents just over an eight percent increase compared to the company's revenue in the previous quarter ($1.12 billion) and a 27.9 percent increase year-over-year. It boosted its digital revenue by just over nine percent in the last quarter as well, from $491 million to $536 million. EA saw a decrease in its net income by 8.7 percent in the last quarter, from $367 million in Q4 of fiscal 2014 to $335 million. The company's reported net income for the quarter still represents a 50.9 percent increase when compared to the same quarter last year ($222 million). As for its expectations for the second quarter of the financial year (ending September 30), EA anticipates a drop in net revenue to $965 million. The publisher also announced the delay of two games today: Dragon Age Inquisition will now arrive in November, whereas Battlefield Hardline was pushed back to 2015. [Image: Electronic Arts]
Capcom sales up 8.6% thanks to Dead Rising, Monster Hunter
Capcom reported net sales of 102,200 million yen ($1 billion) for the fiscal year that ended March 31, an 8.6 percent increase over the previous year's sales. The publisher also announced a net income of 3,444 million yen ($33.8 million), which amounts to a 15.9 percent increase year-over-year. Capcom attributed some of its increased profits to its Monster Hunter 4 sales in Japan as well as that of Dead Rising 3 for Xbox One. It shipped over four million copies of Monster Hunter 4 as of December, as well as one million copies of Dead Rising 3 by the end of 2013. The publisher also reported a 1.5 percent increase year-over-year in operating income to 10,299 million yen ($101 million) as well as an ordinary income of 10,946 million yen ($107 million) for the year. For the next fiscal year, ending March 31, 2015, Capcom projects net sales of 80,000 million yen ($786 million) and an operating income of 10,500 million yen ($103 million). [Image: Capcom]
Sega slashes profit forecasts by 36 percent
Sega announced an adjustment to its earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31, cutting its expected net income by 36.2 percent. The company adjusted its projected net income to be 30 billion yen ($293.5 million), down from its previously-reported amount, 47 billion yen ($459.8 million). Additionally, it expects its net sales to be 377 billion yen ($3.69 billion), a 22.3 percent decrease from its original projection of 485 billion yen ($4.75 billion). Sega cited a decline in its pachislot and pachinko machine business for the change in projections. The company cut its pachislot machine sales projection by 171,000 units and its pachinko machine sales projection by 304,700 units for the fiscal year. The biggest cut comes to Sega's projected operating income: a 49.3 percent slide from 73 billion yen ($714.2 million) to 37 billion yen ($362 million). Should Sega meet its new projections, it would amount to a year-on-year increase in net sales and operating income by 17.3 percent and 94 percent, respectively, but would also represent a 10.3 percent decrease in net income. [Image: Sega]
Capcom net income slides 10%, Monster Hunter 4 sells 4 million
Capcom reported a net income of 5,957 million yen ($58.3 million) for the first nine months of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014. This marks a 10.3 percent decrease year-over-year when compared with the net income of 6,645 million yen ($65 million) reported for the first nine months of the last fiscal year. Overall net sales were up year-over-year by 3.5 percent to 75,221 million yen ($736.4 million) while operating income and ordinary income saw year-over-year decreases of 13.4 percent and 8 percent, respectively. Capcom said the Japanese home video game market was in a "transition period" as the nine-month period drew to a close, thanks especially to comparatively late arrivals of next-generation consoles in the region; both the PS4 and Xbox One have yet to launch in Japan. The publisher did credit its successes to the launch of Monster Hunter 4, which topped 4 million in sales, bringing the series total to 28 million units. Additionally, Xbox One launch game Dead Rising 3 topped one million copies shipped. Capcom's digital business (both DLC and full game downloads) amounted to 56,067 million yen ($548.9 million) in net sales. [Image: Capcom]
NCsoft sales are up, income is down
NCsoft may be in a more secure position with its financials at the present, as the company released its Q2 2013 earnings report with uplifting data. Overall, the publisher and its combined subsidiaries has increased its sales by 4% over last quarter and seen a healthy bump in operating profit as well. It's not all good news; NCsoft's net income has taken a 35% nosedive quarter-over-quarter. If you strip away the subsidiaries, however, NCsoft is doing well across the board. So what's fueling these numbers? Lineage 1 remains the backbone of NCsoft's financials, boasting "an all-time high" in the sales department. Aion is reportedly doing well in China, and Guild Wars 2 is providing "stable" profits. It looks as though North American sales has decreased from Q1, but an increase in Japanese and Korean sales has more than made up for the loss.
Netmarble announces the shutdown of Arcane Saga
It can only be hoped that during your brief time with Arcane Saga you have not gotten too attached to it. The game relaunched in the US just over a month ago, and now the game has announced an impending shutdown later this year. Somewhat unusually, the actual shutdown date is September 16th, meaning that the game will be waiting for the final shutdown longer than it was running normally. Netmarble has already closed up the cash shop; players are able to spend any remaining cash shop currency on the company's other titles. According to the announcement, the game simply wasn't taking in enough money to remain profitable. Arcane Saga was a relaunch of Prius Online, which had already been shut down once before. Our condolences go out to any gamers who had hoped for a long and fruitful future with the game.
The Art of Wushu: Making silver through harvesting
I got a lot of backlash over the last installment of The Art of Wushu. While the issues over pay-to-win are understandable, an overwhelming number of you seemed to disbelieve the amount of silver I was able to produce daily. Some of you protested my 1D/daily figure (which is on the high side), while others questioned whether I could make even 500L per day. My email was flooded with people asking me to share some of my secrets. I was going to talk about movement and parkour this time, but because you guys asked, you'll get an answer. "How do I make money in Age of Wushu," you ask? Let's cover the easy ways to make money. These are methods that literally any player, regardless of subscription status or level, can take advantage of. This time we're going to cover harvesting -- what sells and what doesn't. Let's get started.
Activision Blizzard sees 'best performance in history' during 2012
Activision Blizzard and its many, many franchises brought in $4.85 billion dollars in net revenue over the course of calendar 2012, with $1.76 billion of that hitting its coffers during the three month period ending on December 31, 2012. Digital sales represented 32 percent of that total annual new revenue, raking in $1.54 billion.As far as actual profit is concerned, Activision Blizzard reports net post-tax income of $1.14 billion for the year and $354 million for Q4; a 5.8 and 257 percent year-over-year increase, respectively."Activision Blizzard delivered the best performance in its history," CEO Bobby Kotick said in the financial statement. "In the short-term, we expect to continue delivering strong profitability, but below our record setting 2012 performance, due to a challenged global economy, the ongoing console transition and a difficult year-over-year comparison because of Blizzard's record-shattering Diablo 3 success in 2012."In addition to said Diablo 3 success, Activision Blizzard also lists Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops 2 and Skylanders among the many reasons that it had such a successful year, with Skylanders as a series having crested $1 billion in lifetime sales.Looking forward, Activision Blizzard anticipates total net revenues for calendar 2013 to ring up at $4.08 billion, with $1.16 billion of that being generated during the year's first quarter.
Lenovo's Q1 shows 'record high' market share, profits up 30 percent to $141 million
After delivering an overachieving laptop, Lenovo has delivered financial results that also exceeded expectations, producing $8 billion in revenue and $141 million net profit. Those figures are up 35 and 30 percent respectively over last year, which the company has chalked up to a higher than ever market share of 15 percent. That growth came in part from a 59 percent sales bump in emerging markets like India and Brazil, on top of a 9 percent spurt in its home market -- lifting the company 24 percent in world-wide PC shipments for the quarter. Lenovo has also become the second largest player in China's smartphone market, after Samsung, now up to a 13 percent market share. CEO Yang Yuanqing also proclaimed that, unlike other Redmond partners, he wasn't stressed about Microsoft's Surface tablet -- and that his company had "much better hardware" than the software giant.
HP India to expand web access with Vayu Internet Device
The Internet is gradually seeping its way into homes across India, but there are many within the country who remain too poor to actually purchase a PC. Fortunately, HP India has just developed new technology known as the Vayu Internet Device, or VInD, that could dramatically lessen this gap. According to the Times of India, the company's new set top box will essentially allow users to access web content via traditional TVs, using standard remotes, rather than keyboards or mice. All they'd have to do is plug it in, subscribe to an internet service, and turn on their in-home televisions. The idea, of course, is to deepen web penetration across lower-income populations, as well as among the elderly, who may have difficulties manipulating more complex computer equipment. No word yet on when the VInD could hit the market, but the Times of India has a more comprehensive rundown, at the source link below.
FCC enlists more cable providers to offer discounted broadband to low-income families
Back in September, Comcast teamed up with the FCC to offer discounted broadband access to low-income families, in the hopes of bridging the connectivity gulf separating the haves from the have-nots. Today, that campaign is gaining new momentum, now that Time Warner Cable, Cox and most other major US cable providers have thrown their hats into the ring. According to the New York Times, many of the industry's heaviest hitters have agreed to offer high-speed access for just $9.99 per month, fueling the FCC's efforts to reach the estimated 100 million Americans without an at-home internet connection. The low-cost service will be made available for a 2-year period to disconnected families who have at least one child enrolled in the national school lunch program, and who have not recently subscribed to a broadband provider. On top of that, Ohio-based IT firm Redemtech will provide discounted computers to these families at a price of $150, with Morgan Stanley offering microcredit to those who need a little extra time to make the payment. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski says the initiative, slated to be announced later today, should make a "real dent in the broadband adoption gap," by making the internet more accessible and, in theory, more valuable. The Commission hopes to expand the program to the entire country by September 2012, now that it's enlisted most cable heavyweights. Notably missing from the initiative are Verizon and AT&T (which has its own FCC-related matters to worry about), though the reasons for their absence remain unclear.
Lenovo posts Q2 earnings, sees increase in profits, shipments and market share
The quarterly earnings stats just keep rolling in today -- this time, from Lenovo, which has just posted yet another stellar report. According to the company, profits for the second quarter of this year reached $145 million, marking an 89 percent increase over the same period last year. Consolidated sales, meanwhile, rose by 35.8 percent to a record $7.8 billion, giving Lenovo a worldwide quarterly market share of 13.5 percent, also its highest ever. Laptops, not surprisingly, were at the forefront of this surge, accounting for 57.5 percent of the company's total revenue, with PC shipments rising 35.4 percent over the year. Lenovo also saw a 25.4 percent increase in shipments to China, as well as a 54.5 percent year-over-year increase in shipments to mature markets, including Western Europe and the US. For more statistical delights, check out the full PR, after the break.
Microsoft to offer discounted hardware, software to students from low-income families
You don't need a PhD in economics to realize that times are pretty tough right now -- especially for those at the lower end of the income ladder. Fortunately, though, Microsoft has announced a new initiative aimed at providing one million students from low-income families with discounted hardware, software and broadband service. This three-year digital inclusion program is an extension of Redmond's Shape the Future campaign, which, over the course of five years, has already put computers in the hands of more than 10 million underprivileged children around the globe. Under this public-private partnership, Microsoft will work with a variety of nonprofit, corporate and governmental organizations to provide low-cost PCs, educational software, job skills training and high-speed internet to those who need it most. The ultimate goal, of course, is to bridge the achievement gap dividing students with at-home internet from their less digitally-equipped peers. According to the Federal Reserve, children who don't have online access at home graduate high school at a rate that's six to eight percentage points lower than those who do. Inflating national poverty rates and widening income gaps probably won't do much to remedy that discrepancy, but we're certainly hoping that Microsoft can make a difference. Find out more in the full PR after the break, or at the source link below.
Lenovo nearly doubles net profits in Q1 earnings report, not so certain about 'mainstream' Ultrabooks by end of year
Lenovo's enjoying a bright and sunny Thursday in Hong Kong today, where the company has just unveiled a Q1 2011 / 2012 earnings report that's full of rosy news. According to the report, Lenovo's revenues jumped to $5.92 billion during the fiscal quarter, representing a 15 percent increase over last year's figures, while net profits nearly doubled to $108 million (compared to $54.9 million last year). Global PC sales, meanwhile, nudged upward 23 percent -- even at a time when most other manufacturers are seeing relatively sluggish growth. During an earnings conference call this morning, COO Rory Read provided a little insight into his company's approach to the growing Ultrabook sector, while hinting at future price reductions. Speaking to reporters, Reed assured that Lenovo would "invest in innovation to be a leader" in the Ultrabook market, adding that prices for its MacBook Air competitors may reach "mainstream" (sub-$1,000) levels by 2012: "I wouldn't say by the end of the year necessarily but...that's definitely going to happen." Head past the break for Lenovo's financial summary, along with the full PR. [Original photo by Cory Grenier]
HTC sales in May reached $1.42 billion, more than double last year's total
We're seriously considering just reposting the same bit of text every time HTC's earnings come up for discussion. The story never seems to change. Taiwan's premier smartphone maker has once again blown away its performance from the previous year, having informed the Taiwan Stock Exchange that it tallied up T$40.62b ($1.42b) in consolidated sales for May 2011. That's a neat chunk of change more than April's T$38.73b and it also comfortably dwarfs last year's May total of T$18.82b ($656m). There's no breakdown of what devices are to credit for HTC's ever-ascending revenues, but if you ask us, its future prosperity looks pretty good with the Sensation, EVO 3D, and a few tablet-shaped things lurking on the horizon.
