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Richard Branson on LinkedIn: First to 1M followers

How's this for a little influence?

Richard Branson today set a record at LinkedIn, becoming the first "LinkedIn Influencer" to have more than 1 million followers.

What's even more impressive is that the founder of numerous Virgin enterprises has twice the number of followers as his nearest competitor -- President Barack Obama.

"Our data shows that [Branson is] popular with everyone from entrepreneurs to HR workers and in industries ranging from tech to construction," LinkedIn Executive Editor Daniel Roth said in a blog post. "The only continent where he doesn't have a … Read more

Cautious plug for BlackBerry 10 boosts RIM shares

RIM's stock climbed today in reaction to some rare positive news.

Goldman Sachs analyst Simona Jankowski increased her rating on RIM stock to "Buy" from "Neutral" today after saying that there's a "30 percent chance" the company's BlackBerry 10 smartphones will be successful, the Associated Press reported.

A one-in-three chance isn't all that much to cheer about, but Jankowski's opinion and "Buy" rating were enough to send the stock up more than 6 percent since the start of today's trading.

Goldman Sachs upped its 12-month price … Read more

LinkedIn CEO: Site will become 'economic graph' over next decade

NEW YORK -- LinkedIn will evolve quite a bit over the next five to 10 years and become even more of an "economic graphic" for professionals, according to the social networking company's CEO, Jeff Weiner.

Weiner, speaking here in a conversation with Business Insider's CEO and editor in chief, Henry Blodget, said LinkedIn will continue to focus on its current strategy over the next three years, transforming the way companies hire, market, and sell.

"As we move out five to 10 years, the vision begins to expand quite a bit," he said.

Weiner said … Read more

Sunrise will e-mail your daily agenda to you each morning

Technology was supposed to make managing a hectic schedule easy. Setting up a Google Calendar was supposed to streamline your calendar, telling you where you needed to be and when you needed to be there. The same can be said about Facebook Events, iCloud, Yahoo, AOL, and on and on. The point is, in some regards, technology has gotten in the way of making our lives easier and keeping a calendar is one of those areas.

Depending on your friends and family members, you may receive event invites on Facebook, Google Calendar, and iCloud. All of which have unique methods … Read more

Back to cell phone basics: Buying a non-smartphone

For some people, smartphones and their always-on Internet connections and apps is a waste of money.

If you don't need apps or games and you can live without fast, robust access to the Net from your cell phone, then a smartphone might be expensive overkill. All four of the major U.S. wireless carriers still offer basic feature phones, which don't require expensive data plans. In this Ask Maggie, I offer some advice to a reader who is looking for one of these phones.

I also offer some advice regarding the new all-in-one desktop computers.

Going retro with … Read more

Kids with cancer get quality kitty time via interactive Webcams

The cancer ward at Seattle Children's Hospital will be overrun with cats tomorrow. Lots and lots of cats.

Normally, this would be extremely problematic in a sterile medical environment, but not in this case. Young cancer patients with immunities too low to participate in pet therapy will get to physically connect with the felines via an interactive online playroom. Rabbits, puppies, and goats too.

They'll do so via a live interface set up by Seattle Children's and Boise, Idaho-based Reach-in, which created the interactive technology that lets remote viewers control fluffy robotic cat toys in real time. It's not the same as holding a furry friend, but it might be the next best thing for these kids, some of whom must remain in total isolation while they battle cancer. … Read more

Apple vs. Dell: Finding the perfect 27-inch all-in-one

This is not a review.

I have reviewed the Dell XPS One 27. The review posted a few hours before Apple announced its new iMacs. I accounted for a potential new iMac while I evaluated the Dell, but that review does not have a direct comparison between the two computers.

I also gave the Dell XPS One 27 an Editors' Choice Award. It makes every other high-end Windows 8 all-in-one look underfeatured. It's the all-in-one I would buy right now if money were no object (along with the Sony Vaio Tap 20).

I have not reviewed the new 27-inch iMac. I intend to when it comes out in December. I did get some hands-on time with it at Apple's launch event. I can tell you that it's not slate-thin like Apple made it out to be during the unveiling (a bulge containing the core components protrudes from the back of the screen). It's still a great-looking computer.… Read more

Hit-and-miss performance

This privacy tool aims to put you in the driver's seat by letting you restrict access to your PC. However, we had difficulty applying some of our restrictions.

InTouch Lock has a seemingly straightforward user interface, which can be accessed from your taskbar. A menu on the left side of the window organizes your system into access categories, including files, system, shell, devices, Internet, and applications. Within each of those categories are options for hiding your taskbar, disabling your desktop, lock files and Control Panel applets. The Lock Screen function worked, as did the Task feature, which successfully logged … Read more

Ultimate Ears' new ultimate: The Personal Reference Monitor

With most speakers or headphones, you're stuck with the designer's sound, but with the Logitech UE Personal Reference Monitors (PRM) you get to play headphone designer and dial in exactly the sound you want.

Each pair is totally unique; they're built with the individually designed equalization curves you selected. My PRMs sound absolutely amazing, but I'm a little biased, I designed them to please my ears! Every PRM buyer will do the same, and if they totally screw up and hate the result, Ultimate Ears will give them another try. Each PRM set is handmade in UE's facilities in California.

The price for this level of customization doesn't come cheap, though; the Personal Reference Monitors sell for $1,999. That's extreme, but so are $285,000 luxury cars. I cover the full gamut of audio, from affordable to the craziest expensive gear. … Read more

Perian lays most file formats under QuickTime 9 or earlier

Perian is a software app that makes viewing your media files easier. Basically, Perian enables QuickTime application support for a wide variety of media files. Perian is available from several sources, but not the App Store when we looked. It installs easily as long as you have no software already installed that can conflict with Perian.

Perian supports a variety of file types for both video and audio files. All the standard file formats are supported, but there's a ton of less-commonly found file formats supported by Perian, too. Perian works without you realizing it is there. When QuickTime … Read more