Category Archives: CNBC

10 essentials for a sweet home office life

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More home office essentialsand more workers are staying home. In fact, the percentage of all workers who worked at least 1 day at home increased from 7 percent in 1997 to 9.5 percent in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, with two-thirds of those working exclusively from their homes. But to get the job done, remote workers need the right equipment.

There’s more to telecommuting and freelancing than working in your PJs and raiding the pantry on an hourly basis. Of course, you’ll need a smartphone and a laptop, giving you the ability to be flexible and mobile. But if you’re truly planning to turn your spare bedroom, or any other residential square footage, into a workplace that rivals a professional office environment, you’ll need a lot more than that. (And good news, most of it may be tax deductible!)

Here are 10 essentials for living the sweet, telecommute life.

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Famous business comebacks over the last 25 years

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Everyone biz comebacksloves a good comeback story. In the world of business, though, they’re rather rare. Generally, when things start to go really wrong for a large company, it’s hard for it to pivot in time to turn unprofitable operations around and regain market share.

Since 1989, though, there have been some marvels in the comeback world. What these success stories have in common is the remarkable leadership skills of their CEOs. Against the odds, these mavericks made bold but necessary moves to sharpen business focus and build the corporate brand. Here are 10 that will go down in history.

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America’s iconic companies that disappeared

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The iconic companiesbusiness landscape has changed significantly in the past 25 years—not only in how we work but also with whom we work.

It’s sometimes easy to forget that king of the hill isn’t a permanent position, and companies that seem invincible might not be around forever in their current form—or, in some cases, any form.

Icons fall, and here are some of the names we took for granted in 1989 that have since faded away.

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Porn site sues Amazon over Fire TV

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The fireTV-FyreTvowners of a porn website that shares the name as Amazon’s Fire TV set-top box are turning up the heat.

Florida-based WREAL is suing Amazon for alleged trademark infringement, asking a U.S. District Court judge to force the company to change the product’s name and to hand over all profits Fire TV has generated thus far.

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USA Network’s founder brings video to Third World

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Kay kay koplovitzKoplovitz has already made her mark on the cable television scene twice over, but now the founder of the USA and SyFy networks has her eyes on a new prize: globalization.

Beaming video to the technologically-advanced parts of the world is one thing, she noted. But there are wide swaths of the planet missing out on the current content revolution.

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Could virtual reality flop again?

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Facebook’s Oculus rift$2 billion deal to acquire Oculus last month marked the biggest bet yet on the resurgence of virtual reality.

While any price tag that hefty for an unfinished, unproven technology is bound to spark investor second-guessing, it’s hardly a surprise that this purchase is being especially scrutinized. Like 3-D, virtual reality is a concept that has been touted for years, but has always failed to live up to its potential—and historically been rejected by consumers.

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Amazon TV shares name with online porn site

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Someone fyre-tvlooking for information on Amazon’s new Fire TV on the Web might be in for a bit of a shock. The video streaming and gaming set-top box shares a name with a porn site.

The media and retail giant on Wednesday announced its Fire TV, an attempt by the company to grab a spot in the living room to promote its own content services.

Consumers, however, who enter firetv.com (NSFW) into their browsers (rather than searching for information about the product on Amazon’s home page) will get something very different. Rather than offering information about Fire TV, the site is the home of a video-on-demand pornography service.

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Steve Case peers into the future of the Internet

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Steve steve caseCase, 55, the iconic founder of America Online, a digital media company now known as AOL, has a bone to pick with today’s entrepreneurs.

Too many modern start-ups, he said, are built with the sole purpose of being sold or flipped within a few years. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with a cash grab, he noted, we’re at a point in time where there are big problems to be addressed—such as health care and education—and to really make a difference in the world, you need to think long term.

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The 10 best apps for road warriors

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Phones road warriorand tablets are critical accessories for today’s business traveler. Beyond their obvious communications functionality, they’ve become mobile offices, accounting departments and travel assistants.

The fast-paced evolution of the mobile world is regularly changing the game, and there is an ever expanding library of apps that make life on the road significantly easier and more efficient—and simpler to navigate unfamiliar towns. We’ve dug up 10 apps that no business traveler should be without.

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Who hates the Facebook/Oculus deal? Kickstarter backers

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Last oculusweek, Oculus VR was one of the most loved companies in the gaming world. Today, it’s in damage control mode.

Facebook’s $2 billion acquisition of the virtual reality headset company shocked gamers and game makers alike, who worry that the new owners will lessen the impact Oculus has on the videogame industry.

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