Tuesday, August 7, 2012

iPod Nano, Kobo, UniCredit: Hot Trends

Popular searches on the Internet Monday include iPod nano on news that Apple(AAPL) is recalling its first-generation iPod nano devices due to an overheating issue.

Apple is concerned that the battery in some first-generation nanos may overheat to the point where the devices catch fire. Not all batteries in first-generation nanos are at risk. The issue has been traced to a supplier that produced batteries with a manufacturing defect.

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Apple has set up a Web page at which nano owners of units sold between September 2005 and December 2006 can check the serial numbers of their devices to see if they are at risk. If they are, users can ship their nanos back to Apple and the company will replace the product within six weeks free of charge, but not with a newer model. Users will receive a replacement first-generation nano with a different manufacturer's battery that is not prone to the overheating issue. Kobo is trending as the Toronto company announced its $99 Kobo Touch with Offers e-reader. The device is the same as the $130 Kobo Touch, except this version achieves its price point in part by displaying ads at the bottom of the home screen and when the device is locked. The e-reader has a 6-inch e-Ink touch display and features its Reading Life social networking platform that tracks reading patterns, allows users to earn awards for their progress and lets users share Reading Life status with social networks like Facebook and Twitter. The Kobo Touch with Offers faces competition from the Amazon(AMZN) Kindle Touch with Special Offers, also $99, and the Barnes & Noble(BKS) Nook Simple Touch, which is $99 and ad-free. The Kobo Touch with Offers will begin shipping in two to three weeks. UniCredit, Italy's biggest bank, is another popular search with news that the company's board is considering a stock sale of €7.5 billion. The sale is expected to be approved Monday after it was recommended by the bank's strategic committee on Sunday. The stock sale would be the largest Italian stock sale in more than two years.

The European Banking Authority said last month that UniCredit has the largest shortfall in capital among all of Italy's lenders. The bank must meet a regulatory deadline of reaching 9% core capital by June 30 after writing down sovereign debt holdings and must submit its plans to reach that target by Dec. 25.

The chatter on Main Street (a.k.a. Google, Yahoo! and other search sites) is always of interest to investors on Wall Street. Thus, each day, TheStreet compiles the stories that are trending on the Web, and highlights the news that could make stocks move..

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