Neben den Schools bieten auch einzelne Institute an der Steinbeis-Hochschule berufsbegleitende, transferorientierte Aus- und Weiterbildung auf einem breiten Themenfeld aus Management und Technologien an. Mit unserem Angebot sprechen wir nicht nur potenzielle Bachelor- und Masterstudenten an. Insbesondere unsere nichtakademischen Programme mit Hochschulzertifikat, wie beispielsweise das St. Galler Managementseminar, das Steinbeis-Technologie-Seminar, das ekm (Entwicklungs- und Konstruktionsmanagement) Fernstudienprogramm oder auch der Innovation Professional und der Rating Advisor/Rating Analyst, zielen auf Mitarbeiter und Unternehmen, die an exzellenten Weiterbildungsprodukten interessiert sind. Auf der folgenden Seite finden Sie eine Übersicht aller Institute an der SHB. Auf den jeweiligen Seiten sind Ansprechpartner und Kontaktdaten der Institute für Sie aufgeführt. Bei den Instituten erhalten Sie detaillierte Informationen zu den konkreten Studien- und Lehrgängen.

 

As compare to last year, 2014 is more promising to become a better year for tech gadgets. There are many exciting gadgets planned to be released this year including the Apple iWatch, wearable television (TV), drones and 3D printers.

Smart watches are very in at the moment and all the other wearable tech gadgets while many companies are competing to each other to outdo their gadgets like Apple, Google, Samsung, Adidas and Nike. They used the competition to innovate new features to add to the already impressive smart watch. New features to add to the already impressive smart watch.

"Smart watches, which connect to your smartphone, are going to create an entirely new category of computing in the coming year," said former Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps, who specializes in wearable computing, in a report by Brisbane Times.

Epps also mentioned that the much anticipated Apple smart watch, which is predicted to be named iWatch, will be a game-changer in the smart watch industry because Apple is known for its amazing technological innovations which have revolutionized the tech industry, including the cellphone and computer industries.

Smartwatches are very trendy, stylish and most of all convenient, it is an additional accessories to mobile phone. Aside from a traditional watch who tell time, it also syncs to one's smartphone to provide users with important data without having to whip out their phones all the time. Nowadays everyone is busy and always on-the-go, smart watches will be safer because it lessens the need to show off your smartphone in a crowded place, which can be snatched or misplaced. It alerts users about incoming calls and important text messages, appointments and even monitors one's health by recording heartbeat, blood pressure and the number of miles walked in a day and it is also designed with improved location sensors that will alert you whether a friend, colleague, acquaintance or loved one is nearby or has been to the place you just passed.

Moreover, wearable TV is also flaunting to be the next big thing in the tech industry. The coming on of flexible screens from Samsung and Corning Glass Technologies has signaled the beginning of TVs that can be worn on the wrist or on clothes.

In addition, the out of control use of commercial drones is anticipated to happen in 2014. The use of these drones is to inspect rooftops and other areas that aren't easily accessible to humans.

In the previous year, 3D printer that can create physical objects was launched and it is predicted that in 2014. These printers will substitute to the old-fashioned inkjet printers in people's homes.

Umgesetzte, marktorientierte Innovationen wie auch erfolgreiche Produkte und Dienstleistungen sichern in einem zunehmend globalisierten und konkurrierenden wirtschaftlichen Umfeld unternehmerischen Erfolg. Erfolgreich zu sein setzt voraus, Erfahrung mit aktuellem Fachwissen situativ zu verknüpfen und den Mut zu haben, Neues und oft Unkonventionelles anzugehen aber auch Bewährtes weiterhin realisieren zu können. Das praxisorientierte, berufsbegleitende Projekt-Kompetenz-Studium der Steinbeis-Hochschule forciert einen Wissenstransfer, der dieses konkrete Fachwissen vermittelt und die erfolgreiche Arbeit von Nachwuchs-, Fach- und Führungskräften unterstützt. Lebenslanges und berufsbegleitendes Lernen ist an der Steinbeis-Hochschule zentraler Aspekt unseres Konzepts. Dabei gilt es einerseits inhaltliche und organisatorische Anforderungen von Unternehmen und andererseits die Vereinbarkeit von Bildung und Beruf zu berücksichtigen. Über 100 Transfer-Institute im Steinbeis-Verbund aus rund 800 Steinbeis-Unternehmen bieten ein breites Spektrum an maßgeschneiderten, spezialisierten Studien- und Lehrgängen zur praxisnahen Qualifizierung von Fach- und Führungskräften an. Im Mittelpunkt unserer Philosophie steht die Organisation der Institute als "Unternehmen im Unternehmen Hochschule", die eigenverantwortlich agieren. Als Hochschule finanzieren wir uns über Projekt- und Studiengebühren und beanspruchen keine staatlichen Subventionen. Fokussiert auf die Anforderungen der beruflichen Praxis haben wir uns als unabhängiger Dienstleister in der deutschen Hochschullandschaft mit unserem Projekt-Kompetenz-Konzept etabliert. Heute sind über 4.000 Studenten an unserer Steinbeis-Hochschule eingeschrieben und wir arbeiten mit zahlreichen projektgebenden Unternehmen zusammen - das bestätigt uns in unserem Konzept und stärkt uns für die Herausforderungen der Zukunft. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Johann Löhn Präsident der Steinbeis-Hochschule Berlin

Studium an der SHB Die 1998 gegründete private, staatlich anerkannte Steinbeis-Hochschule Berlin (SHB) bietet Studierenden und Unternehmen auf Basis des Projekt-Kompetenz-Konzeptes berufsintegrierte und praxisorientierte Studienprogramme mit den staatlich anerkannten Abschlüssen Bachelor und Master. Die Studiengänge der SHB führen zu folgenden Abschlüssen: Bachelor: ● Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) ● Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) ● Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Master: ● Master of Arts (M.A.) ● Master of Business Engineering (MBE) ● Master of Business Administration (MBA) ● Master of Science (M.Sc.) Forschung an der SHB Transferorientierte Forschung bildet neben den Weiterbildungsangeboten der SHB den zweiten Schwerpunkt. Aktuelle, theoriebasierte Forschungsergebnisse finden direkt zur Umsetzung in der Praxis und spiegeln den Steinbeis-Gedanken des konkreten Transfers wider. Denn alle Forschungsarbeiten an der SHB untersuchen immer eine anwendungsbezogene Problemstellung. Sie verfolgen in ihren Lösungsansätzen stets die Maxime der Praxisnähe und eines hohen wissenschaftlichen Niveaus. Forschung an der SHB findet aktuell zu folgenden Schwerpunkten statt: Forschung an der SHB: Bankmanagement ● Controlling ● Corporate Publishing ● Finanzierung ● Insurance und Asset Management ● Kollektive Intelligenz in Unternehmen und Netzwerken ● Intercultural Interactive Marketing Konvergenzmanagement ● Nonprofit-Marketing ● Produktions- und Fertigungsmanagement ● Real Estate ● Sales und Services Management ● Verbundnetzwerke Studenten und Alumni Mehr als 5.700 Studierende waren 2011 in Bachelor- und Masterstudiengängen an der SHB eingeschrieben. Darüber hinaus haben 47 Promovenden transferorientiert und praxisnah geforscht. Betreut werden die Studierenden von rund 1.400 Professoren und Lehrkräften. Seit ihrer Gründung konnte die SHB mehr als 6.000 Alumni verabschieden.

Vår brede erfaring med forurensede områder og arealutvikling gir oss mulighet til å gi våre kunder innom både den private og den offentlige sektoren bærekraftige og kostnadseffektive løsninger. Dette gjør at de i sin tur kan bedømme, kjøpe, designe, utvikle og håndtere grunnen på beste måte. Våre tjenster i Norge omfatter blandt annet:

* Miljø- og geotekniske undersøkelser.

* Miljøtekniske risikobedømminger.

* Prosjektering av grunnleggende fasiliteter.

* Dimensjonering av geokonstruksjoner.

* Prosjektering og spesifikasjoner for bl.a. nye grunnleggende fasiliterter, grunnforsterkninger, sanering, riving.

* Prosjekt- og byggeledelse for spesifike grunnlegings- og saneringsoppdrag.

Vi har nesten 40 års omfattende erfaring i utviklingen av avfallshåndteringssystemer, fasiliteter og strategier i utviklede og oppadgående økonomier. Vi leder deg gjennom planlegging og tillatelser, gjennom design og konstruksjon til produksjon og vedlikehold, oppnår en god balanse av sosiale, økonomiske og miljømessige fordeler.

Vi leverer miljøovervåkning og i overenstemmelse med kundens ønsker, konstruksjon, inspeksjon og prosjektstyringsservice.

Innsamlingsservice: Systemevaluering, tilfredshetsmåling og overvåking.

Overføring: Tillatelse, degign og konstruksjonsledelse.

Avfallssystemplanlegging: Miljøpåvirkning, rådgivning, alternative teknologirådgivning og evaluering og livssykluspåvirkning.

Avfallssystemdesign: bygging og tillatelse fra design til avslutning (kompostering, resirkulering, mekanisk biologisk behandling og lufting, forbrenning.

Gass til energi lagringog utnyttelse, planlegging og design.

Bærekraftig service: Karbonavtrykksevaluering og håndtering.

Vi assisterer også våre kunder i programledelse, privatiseringshjelp, ressursevaluering, markedsanalyser, kapital og driftsutgiftsestimering, takstberegning og fusjoner og anskaffelser.

Spør Golder!

Over hele kloden er selskaper og myndigheter i gang med å skape morgendagens verden. De bygger viktig infrastruktur, utvikler prosjekter, gjenoppretter landskaper og fornyer økonomien, alt med bærekraft i tankene.

Golder Associates er en medarbeidereid global organisasjon som tilbyr rådgivnings-, design- og byggtjenester innen spesialområdene jord, miljø og energi gjennom teknisk kompetanse, nyskapende løsninger og prisbelønnet kundeservice. I dag er våre kunder å finne blant verdens største industrier og pådrivere for utvikling: Olje og gass, bergverksdrift, industriproduksjon, energi samt byutvikling og infrastruktur.

Golder Associates har vært medarbeidereid siden starten i 1960, og våre 8000 medarbeidere ved 180 kontorer verden over kan tilby omfattende teknologisk forståelse, tenking på tvers av disipliner og et engasjement for å hjelpe kundene til å lykkes.

Golder Associates i Norge

Golder Associates AS (Golder) er det norske datterselskapet i Golder Associates Corporation med hovedsete i Kanada. Golder har kontor med 19 ansatte på Brakerøya i Drammen (pr. sept 2012).

Golder etablerte seg i Norge i 2005, og arbeider nå med oppdrag over hele Norge innen kompetanseområdene forurenset jord og sedimenter, grunnvann; geoteknikk og ingeniørgeologi; strategisk miljørådgivning; miljøfyrtårtsertifisering og BREEAM-sertifisering; miljøkartlegging av bygg; ulike miljøplaner og konsekvensutredninger.

Firmaets kompetanse er bredt sammensatt, og majoriteten av de ansatte er utdannet ved universiteter og høyskoler som hydrogeologer, kjemikere, geologer, geoteknikere og biologer.

Golders virksomhet er ISO 9001- og Miljøfyrtårnsertifisert og vårt kvalitetssystem følger i tillegg standardene ISO 14001 og OHSAS 18001. Vi er kvalifisert i Sellihca, StartBANK, JQS og TransQ.

Golder i Norge er som nevnt ett av flere selskaper i Golder Associates Corporation, og dermed en del av en internasjonal gruppe av konsulentfirmaer innen geo- og miljøfagområdene. Til sammen er vi nesten 9000 ansatte ved 180 kontorer i 37 land over hele verden, og med oppdrag i mer enn 140 land.

I Europa har Golder Associates kontorer i Norge, Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Storbritannia, Tyskland, Frankrike, Irland, Italia, Polen, Portugal, Spania, Ungarn og Tyrkia. I tillegg til disse Golder-kontorene har Golder sterke kontaktnett basert på samarbeid med lokale konsulentfirmaer i flere andre europeiske land.

Fram til sommeren 2007 gjennomførte Golder vesentlig oppdrag for A/S Norske Shell. Dette var undersøkelser og gjennomføring av tiltak ved Shells bensinstasjoner og anlegg over hele Norge.

I dag har vi et bredt oppdrags- og kundespekter, med flere store kunder innenfor både offentlig og privat sektor. Som eksempler kan nevnes ROM Eiendom, Forsvarsbygg, Skifte Eiendom, Statsbygg, Oslo lufthavn AS, Skanska, AF Gruppen, NCC, Veidekke, Advansia ÅF, Bundegruppen, Fornebu Utvikling, Eiendomspar, Fabritius, Norsk Industri, YX Energi, Oslo kommune, Bærum kommune, Drammen kommune, Asker kommune, Larvik kommune, Lundhs AS og Larvik Granite AS.

Golder Associates ble etablert i Norge i 2005. Golder Associates tilbyr tjenester innen miljø og geoteknikk til et bredt spekter av kunder lokalt, nasjonalt og internasjonalt. Våre kunder drar nytte av vår kunnskap og erfaring, fulgt av en entusiastisk og energisk tilnærming til alt vi gjør.

Vi hjelper våre kunder med innovative, pålitelige og kostnadseffektive miljøtekniske og geotekniske løsninger. Vi opptrer med sterk integritet og vi tar hensyn til miljøet gjennom vårt arbeid. Vi verdsetter og respekterer verdien av ulike bakgrunner, erfaringer og personligheter, både blant våre ansatte og i forholdet til våre kunder.

Vi er stolte av å være et ansatt-eid selskap, og vi har skapt en unik kultur med stolthet i eierskap, noe som har resultert i langsiktighet og en stabil organisasjon. Golders fagfolk tar seg tid til å forstå kundenes behov og de spesifikke miljøene de opererer i, for deretter å bidra til teknisk gode og kostnadseffektive løsninger. Dette gjør oss i stand til å hjelpe kundene til å nå deres kortsiktige og langsiktige økonomiske, sosiale og miljømessige mål.

Se linkene nedenfor dersom du ønsker å finne ut mer om våre tjenester, innen hvilke sektorer vi tilbyr tjenester, beliggenhet av vårt kontor, tidligere oppdrag, samt jobbmuligheter.

Dette er Golder.

Engineering Earth's Development, Preserving Earth's Integrity.

Last week's snow, freezing rain and frigid temperatures were just a warm-up for winter, which doesn't start officially until Saturday. These apps will get you ready for the season by helping you track a dangerous storm or record a delightful day on the slopes.

Winter Survival Kit

(iOS, Android, free)

In the frightening scenario where you're stranded in your car because of severe weather or a breakdown, Winter Survival Kit goes into action. It tells you how long you can keep your engine running to stay warm before you run out of gas and sends an intermittent alarm to keep you alert. It stores contact numbers and insurance company policy numbers, making it easier when you call roadside assistance service. Just make sure you input the information during the calm before the storm.

NOAA Snow Forecast

(iOS, Android, $1.99)

This app uses information from the government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to tailor a neighborhood snow forecast by ZIP codes. The app updates NOAA information hourly and displays projected snowfall amounts over the next 48 hours on an animated map. If NOAA issues a winter-weather alert, the app shows it in a warning box.

mPing

(iOS, Android, free)

Stuck at home with cabin fever? Become a "citizen scientist." mPing, an abbreviation of the Precipitation Identification near the Ground project by the University of Oklahoma and National Severe Storms Laboratory, wants you to report on the conditions outside your window. Upload the type of precipitation -- snow, ice pellets, freezing rain or other winter weather -- and the data will be compiled by researchers. You can see the results on interactive map.

Ski Track

(iOS, Android; $0.99)

There are two groups of people who love an impending snowstorm: kids and skiers. If you're in the latter category, this app is for you. Ski Tracks won't tell you where to ski, but it will tell you how well you are skiing. Using GPS, it tracks your progress down the slopes and produces graphs and statistics. It doesn't use data or need a phone signal to work. The app makes it easy to share your day of schussing and half-piping with Facebook friends.

When the world's first light-field camera, Lytro, launched in Australia last year it was immediately greeted with a slew of scathing reviews.

Review, after review warned consumers about replacing their regular camera with this device; some went as far as to embed this point in the very first sentence of their critique. For many, the product's price tag didn't justify its features. Being able to refocus a shot after the fact is a cool little trick but it wasn't worth the $499 price tag.

It's been over a year since Lytro's trial-by-fire and despite the criticism it's still alive and kicking, thanks to a pocket of enthusiasts within the global photography community. As seen on Lytro's own online gallery, in the hands of a pro, you can do some incredible work with this nifty tool.

Niche appeal not enough

But Lytro isn't satisfied with its niche appeal. The mass market beckons, and the company is pulling out all the tricks in the technology playbook to stand out from the rest of the pack.

While the core product - that funny-looking, eye-catching rectangular camera - hasn't changed, the software surrounding the device has undergone numerous upgrades in the past year. The latest rendition of the Lytro operating system allows you to display images in 3D. It's an obvious attempt to broaden the devices appeal beyond its fan-base. But will it work?

In short, no. It won't. The 3D perk is another cool add-on, but it's not a reason to buy the camera. The devil you see is in the detail.

For this little trick to work you need three things: a pricey 3D-enabled TV, a PC and a means to display that PC on your TV. For our trial, we used an old MacBook Pro, a Samsung 3D TV and a Apple TV. Since we used an older MacBook, we also loaded an app called Air Parrot to enable screen mirroring between the TV and the PC.

Assuming you have all of this, and the time to fiddle around with it, the 3D effect is kind of cool. But it sadly pales in comparison to what you would see on a 3D enabled Blu-ray. Stereoscopic 3D simply looks better with moving images. It's such a difference that it's almost unfair to compare the two.
When you look at the rest of Lytro's offering, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify the camera as a mainstream device. The good news is, the device still has that (possibly intended) side-effect of making its wielder the center of attention at any given function or party. If you whip it out to take some photos, be prepared to explain why you're carrying around a camera shaped like an oversize lipstick case; particularly if you're sporting the red model.

When you're running around taking photos with the Lytro, it feels as if you're using a spy camera from the Bond series. In this sense, it's a joy to use. Its touch-screen options menu is easy to navigate and it takes good selfies too.

There's nothing wrong with the use ability of the actual device.

Picture manager pain

But the real pain comes when you plug the camera into a PC and boot-up Lytro's desktop picture manager. And it's a shame, given that this camera sells itself on its post-shot prowess.
This software should be fluid, easy to use and quick. But it's not. Uploading around 20 photos from the camera was painless, but converting them so you could slightly shift the perspective of the shot - another key feature of the Lytro camera - takes a good five minutes per shot. Try to do too many things at once on the Mac version of the Lytro Desktop manager, and it will simply crash, taking your photo editing progress with it.

And while your shots look impressive on that small 1.5 inch Lytro camera screen, unless you know what you're doing, they become pretty ugly on a 13-inch Mac - let alone a 50-inch Samsung TV. This further reinforces that this is not a point-and-click camera. Unless you're willing to invest time into studying Lytro's extensive set of video tutorials on how to use the device, then you may be better off snapping away with a regular camera.

This is Lytro's major hurdle as a consumer-focused device, given that SLRs these days start at the same price as Lytro's most basic camera.

It does however; give some smartphones a run for their money. To illustrate this point, I took two photos of the same bridge in Southbank, one with the Lytro and another with my 8-megapixel Samsung S4 Active. You can compare the pair below.

Lytro

Perhaps the most painful point for Lytro is that as a device, with all the bells and whistles attached, it does have mainstream appeal. Consumers would more likely be willing to accept the camera's quirks and its learning curve if it was cheaper.

Interestingly, Apple recently filed a patent for the similar line of technology to what's seen in Lytro's cameras. It even referenced Lytro's solution in its patent application.

If Lytro can't perfect its product for the mass market, I think we can all guess who will.

Online retailers are wishing themselves a Snappy Christmas, with predictions this will be their best year yet.


However, with the online boom comes the threat of internet scams.

More Australians shop on their mobile phones than any other market place and this Sunday our online shopping is tipped to have its biggest day ever.

Credit cards that won't ruin Christmas

EBay reckon they will see almost two-and-a-half million people come into their site to source Christmas gifts - and over half of those people will be on their mobile phone. That figure is up to 30 per cent on last year's total.

While there remains worries over online shopping - such as the worry of not receiving your gift in time - for the time poor and those wishing to avoid trudging through shops, it can be more than welcome.
The online boom has prompted a warning, though.

While many business websites look professional and trustworthy, they are not always what they seem.
Rod Stowe of fair trading said: "Web sites that show bad English, grammatical errors - often that is a good indication of a scam-type site."

For the disorganized, surveys show a quarter of people buy their gifts on Christmas Eve - four per cent of them at a service station on Christmas day and eight per cent regift last year's present.
Whatever you decide, remember there are only 21 days left.

Avoid fraud

A black mark on your credit file can follow you around for as long as seven years and can stop you getting credit.

7News finance expert Scott Pape has three tips to keeping a clean credit file.

1: Don't apply for too many loans.
2: Pay your bills on time.
3: Get a copy of your credit file.
To find out your credit rating for free writes to:

Veda Advantage
PO Box 964 North Sydney NSW 2059

Modern technology is too reliant on rare materials whose scarcity could drastically set back innovation, a new report has warned.


It suggested that as more and more devices are manufactured, supplies of key elements, particularly metals, will be strained.

Potential substitute materials are either inadequate or non-existent, researchers said.

One scientist called the findings "an important wake-up call".

Andrea Sella, of University College London - who was unconnected to the study - told website The Conversation that it was the first time the issue had been explored in such detail.

Researchers at Yale University, led by Prof Thomas Graedel, analyzed the use of 62 metals or metalloids commonly found in popular technology, such as smartphones.

Troubling

It found that none of the 62 had alternatives that performed equally well. Twelve had no alternative, Prof Graedal found.

The scope for serious disruption because of material shortages is increasingly troubling technology companies.
Rare materials are expensive to extract, and their processing comes with considerable environmental concerns.
In April 2012, the BBC's Ian Hardy discovered the effect that mass flooding in Thailand had on the technology supply chain

Political factors also play a part: in 2010, China restricted the export of some materials, known as rare earth elements.
It said this was because of environmental issues, but some observers noted that the restrictions had two distinct effects - the price of the elements increased fivefold, and Chinese companies were simultaneously given the upper hand in using the precious materials at lower cost.

Disrupted

Natural disasters bring another unpredictable risk.

In 2011, serious flooding in Thailand disrupted global supply chains as the country is a hub for hardware manufacture.

Shortages of storage devices extended well into 2012, according to research company IHS iSuppli, with hard-drive supplies the hardest hit.

The Yale report concluded: "As wealth and population increase worldwide in the next few decades, scientists will be increasingly challenged to maintain and improve product utility by designing new and better materials, but doing so under potential constraints in resource availability."

London: Microsoft and law enforcement agencies have reportedly disrupted one of the world's largest botnets, ZeroAccess that triggered online fraud.

The botnet is a network of computers infected with malware that hijacks web search results and redirects users to potentially dangerous sites to steal their details.

According to the BBC, the botnet, also generates fraudulent ad clicks on infected computers then claims payouts from duped advertisers and has infected about two million computers.
Also called Sirefef botnet, Zero Access targets search results on Google, Bing and Yahoo search engines and is estimated to cost online advertisers 2.7million dollars per month.

Microsoft said that it had been authorized by US regulators to block incoming and outgoing communications between computers located in the US and the 18 identified Internet Protocol (IP) addresses being used to commit the fraudulent schemes.

Executive director of Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, David Finn said that the disruption will stop victims' computers from being used for fraud and help in identifying the computers that need to be cleaned of the infection.

Microsoft said that due to its botnet architecture, Zero Access is one of the most robust and durable botnets in operation today and was built to be resilient to disruption efforts, but the latest action is expected to significantly disrupt the botnet's operation, the report added.

The People's Bank of China has issued a warning that the currency is not legally protected and has no 'real meaning'.

The Chinese central bank has warned the country's financial institutions not to trade in bitcoin, saying that the digital currency doesn't have "real meaning" and lacks legal protections.

However, no explicit risk to China's financial system was identified by the bank, and it reiterated that individual citizens were free to use bitcoin provided they were aware that they were taking the risk on themselves.

The bank also identified money laundering and other illegal uses of the currency as areas of concern.

Bitcoin has recently achieved a measure of popularity in China, with FiatLeak and other

bitcoin trading information sites showing large inflows of the currency through Chinese exchanges.

China Telecom, the largest mobile phone provider in the country, launched a promotion allowing a Samsung phone to be bought with bitcoins, and Baidu, the Chinese Google, is accepting payments for its firewall service in the currency.

But there's also suspicion that a large measure of the bitcoin's Chinese popularity is the result of fringe-legal uses. The currency is perfect for getting around the country's tight capital controls, which prevent rich Chinese citizens from moving too much money overseas.

While bitcoin remains unregulated, it is easy for users to buy a large sum in Chinese yuan and sell it in US dollars, evading those regulations.

The potential of bitcoin in China is seen as a large part of the reason for the currency's seven-fold increase in price over November, and the news that the Chinese central bank is taking a less-than-welcoming stance to it has sent markets tumbling.

The value of one bitcoin fell by 28% over two hours on Thursday morning, before settling into its more normal pattern of rapid large price swings in both directions.

The warning follows a similar cautionary tone from the Dutch central bank, which noted that there is no central issuer which can held liable for bitcoin, and no deposit guarantee scheme in the event of bitcoin banks failing.

The former head of the Dutch bank even compared the bitcoin bubble to the Netherlands' tulip mania in the 17th century - but pointed out that at least when that bubble burst, investors were left with tulips at the end.

A new report by the European Consumer Centre Network (ECC-Net) takes a look at the scams faced by consumers when shopping online.

The report focuses on fraud in cross-border e-commerce and what consumers can do to protect themselves from online fraud. It has been prepared based on the complaints reported by consumers to ECC-Net in 2012.

The EU Commissioner for Consumer Policy, Neven Mimica said: "On-line shopping is booming as consumers take advantage of the digital single market. But the risk of fraud is rising too. The ECC report is a timely reminder to consumers that they need to 'shop smart' and avoid the fraudsters' traps".

It has been estimated that savings from online shopping amount to €11.7 billion equivalent to 0.12% of the EU's GDP However many consumers are missing out. Studies show that 62% of consumers cite fear of fraud as the reason why they do not go online to shop.

According to the results of the Euro barometer on Cyber Security, the highest figures of internet users that say they have experienced online fraud are in Poland (18%), Hungary (17%), Malta (16%) and UK (16%), while respondents in Greece (3%), Slovenia (6%) and Spain (7%) are least likely to have experienced online fraud.

The report highlights a number of tips and tricks to avoid being scammed online. For example always use a secure payment method and never transfer cash. The tips also include advice on how to screen unfamiliar online traders and what to do if you happen to fall victim to a fraudulent site.

The most common kind of fraud highlighted by the participating ECCs (70%) were scams involving fraudulent sites which require a bank transfer purchase and never deliver the products offered. The second highest type of online fraud, mentioned by 45% of participating centres, involves second hand cars sold online, followed by sale of counterfeit goods and fraudulent ticket sales. The report also analyses emerging issues in online fraud with malicious software targeting mobile phones, and scams involving gaming and online dating sites.

Who is not fond of cute little stuff that appears on your text messages, it somewhat adds excitement on the conversation. It feels like your texts lack a little something, maybe twirly bits and spangles and animation. Something more that emoji then welcome to ubertxt.

Youngsters may find the world twisted, it may seem turned upside down for these 12 years olds.

We may not be aware of this but there are some good reasons for why this has been happening, maybe one reason is, adults are constantly proving that adulthood is incompetence basking in the rays of power.

So as a replacement for making mental progress, we disappear into our phones and express ourselves with words and smiley faces.

Now and again, while, plain texts aren't enough, simple emoji seem not to provide us the excitement that they used to.

So there is a solution for that, presenting the ubertxt. We know you've been waiting for something like this for at least 15 days - something that makes your new iPhone 5C an even happier place to live.

Ubertxt present the skill to make your texts seem as warm and sincere as how you would really want the person you sent the message feel like they are close to your soul.

Its creator, Teresa Rucinski, told me that there's nothing quite like it. Creators tend to believe that.
She said: "The closest competition would be color text messaging apps on App Store such as Color Text, Pimp My Text. However, they only offer standard/generic wallpaper animated backgrounds at best."

Come to think about it, if you're going to make your texts exciting, it's personally shameful to use generic wallpaper, isn't it? What does that say about you? That you're sad and that you're prepared to use an app with "pimp" in its name.

Try to imagine, with ubertxt your "OMG" SMS can seem like it came out of the palette of Picasso or, at least, from the needle of your local tattoo artist.

Rucinski told me: "ubertxt is the only app to offer animated/MOVING text, professionally designed animated templates/backgrounds, and custom photo & GIF functionality."

Note the caps used for "MOVING." And you can even insert your emoji into ubertxt.
Ubertxt is already racing up the App Store charts in the appropriate categories.

Rucinski went to Harvard and used to work for Google but you will be wondering whether is 17 years old and this is her high school art project.

Without a doubt, she has a belief in - and an understanding of - your inner child. You know the one that, with the help of technology, has become your outer child.

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