Archos picks a new CEO, ships 80 and 97 Titanium tablets to the US

Nomination of a New ARCHOS CEO and Perspectives for the Future

Igny, France – March 22, 2013 - Following the recommendation of ARCHOS Chairman, Henri Crohas, the Board of Directors has named Loïc Poirier to replace Mr Crohas as CEO of the Archos Group taking effect May 1, 2013. Loïc Poirier joined the Archos Group in 2005 as Chief Financial Officer, was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2007 and more recently to Deputy CEO in January 2013.

Henri Crohas, Archos founder, will retain his role as Chairman of the Board and will lead the Strategic Committee alongside the CEO; however he will be concentrating his efforts on the strategic repositioning of the Group via the restructuring of R&D resources between European and Chinese teams while focusing on three axes: Themed Tablets, Smartphones and Home Automation.

The reorganization that began at the end of 2012, aimed at reducing operating costs, nears its completion, having led to the downsizing of the workforce by one quarter at the head office and throughout the group. The 2012 fiscal year financial accounting incorporates restructuring costs as well as inventory depreciation.

In 2013, the group's revenue will benefit from the completion of the diversification efforts that began in 2012:

* The launch of Themed Tablets under the Archos brand or under major distributor brands. These devices require a high level of personalization but also generate higher margins.
* The entry into the Smartphone market. According to GFK, at the end of 2011, 57% of smartphones sold in France via retail channels were subsidized by telcos, however only 34% were subsidized during the 3rd quarter of 2012. This upheaval is favorable to Archos who traditionally sells through retail channels. Furthermore, Smartphones and Tablets are interrelated markets that have quickly crossed over with the arrival of "Phablets" - half-phone, half-tablet devices as well as 3G becoming commonplace.
* The Investments in Home Automation, or, in the broader sense, connected objects that take advantage of new low energy wireless technologies. Archos has developed a range of miniaturized wireless connected objects and is building services around this connectivity.

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By: Unknown On 1:58 PM

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Google picks 12 best Android games of 2012

Games are without a doubt the most popular and profiting category of applications on Android, and today, after yesterday’s recap of Google Play’s best apps for the year, we have Google’s picks for 2012’s best games.

Titled “Games We Love: Best Games of 2012,” nearly all genres are included starting with sports and racing, and going to good old shooters and action. As the year is 2012, so the picks are 12 accordingly.

Best of all, half of them are available for absolutely free, and the other half is discounted to just a dollar. You can take a look at Google’s 2012 best game selection right below. We’d love to also hear your thoughs: what is your favorite game of the year?

source: Google Play

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By: Dilusha On 12:25 PM

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HP picks Cosco's Greek pier as regional transport hub

A logo of HP is seen outside Hewlett-Packard Belgian headquarters in Diegem, near Brussels, January 12, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Thierry Roge

ATHENS | Wed Nov 14, 2012 3:16pm EST

ATHENS (Reuters) - Hewlett Packard will transport its goods across Europe, the Middle East and Africa through Greece's biggest port, the Greek government said on Wednesday, after a deal with China's Cosco Pacific that Athens hopes will attract investors and bolster cargo business at its commercial docks.

The agreement is expected to take effect at the end of the year, the government said. Cosco Pacific, one of the world's biggest container terminal operators, signed a deal with Greece in 2008 to run a pier at the state-owned Piraeus port. HP is the world's largest manufacturer by sales of personal computers.

The conservative-led government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has made investment and growth a priority since taking over in June. Greece is battling its biggest economic downturn in six decades.

Samaras hailed the deal as "a vote of confidence in Greece in this effort we are undertaking today to revive the Greek economy."

"It reaffirms the role our country can play on the global business map," he said after meeting representatives of both companies and the shipping and development ministers.

In 2011 more than 20 million passengers and 1.7 million containers passed through Piraeus, the country's busiest port and a gateway to Eastern Europe, according to the Piraeus Port Authority (OLP).

The Development Ministry, which announced the preliminary agreement, did not place a value on the deal but said it could increase local cargo business at Piraeus by 50 percent. It is also expected to create hundreds of jobs, the ministry said.

HP's merchandise would be distributed by sea through the Cosco terminal and by land though Greece's Trainose, the monopoly that operates 500 freight and passenger routes on 2,500 km (1,550 miles) of railways, the ministry said.

(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Toni Reinhold)

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By: Dilusha On 8:31 PM

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