Microsoft's Bill Gates now Ecolab's largest shareholder

Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gatesis now the largest stockholder in St. Paul-based Ecolab Inc.

The Star Tribune reports that Cascade Investment LLC, a Kirkland, Wash.-based investment firm controlled by Gates, bought 3.9 million shares of Ecolab stock this week, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Cascade now holds more than 22 million shares of Ecolab (NYSE: ECL), while Gates also holds about 4.4 million Ecolab shares through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation .

Combined, the chairman of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) holds an 11.4 percent stake in Ecolab, which makes cleaning products and systems for hospital and restaurants.

Cascade's spent nearly $190 million on its purchase this week. Based on Ecolab's closing price of $50.80 per share Friday, Gates' investment in Ecolab is worth about $1.34 billion.

Other Cascade investments include Deere and Co. and Berkshire Hathaway.

Hurricane Irene Tracked Via Google Maps

Hurricane Irene has captured the attention of most folks on the eastern seaboard, so it's good to be aware of the latest updates to the event.


Just as it has for earthquakes, tsunamis and tornadoes in recent years, Google's Crisis Response team has come through again with its typical trove of Google Maps data to let users track of the storm.
Users may also learn more about how to prepare for its and its possible effects from trusted sources National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Hurricane Center and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).


This Google Crisis Map shows up-to-date geographic information, allowing users to zoom and pan the map and turn layers of information on or off just by clicking. Users may also find out more about the map layers by visiting the linked Websites of the content owners.
Layer options for Crisis Map include U.S. radar graphics, cloud imagery, "red zone' warnings, storm surge graphics (in rainbow colors, no less) 3 and 5-day forecasts, hurricane evacuation routes, and pins indicating Red Cross Shelter systems.


EWEEK has found the map to provide an excellent distillation of information for the this category 1 blast of weather, which includes wind gusts from 74 to 95 miles per hour.


However, NOAA certainly provides the most detailed information, culled with all of the power of the government's intelligence at its disposal. FEMA's Website is also helpful.


CNET has pointed out other Websites that provide valuable information, from the obvious, such as Weather.com, to the less well-known, such as Weather Wunderground.


Hopefully this provides a starting point for information-gathering for everyone. To all East Coasters in the coastal tri-state area and northward into New England: hunker down and batten the hatches.

I Want My Apple TV

As Steve Jobs takes a few steps back from Apple, I'm hoping upon hope that by this Christmas, or even next, Apple decides once and for all to show the world the great potential of Apple TV. I'm talking an embedded Apple TV device inside a large format LED/LCD TV emblazoned with the Apple logo and worthy of the Apple premium. A real TV set, if you will.

I have raised this idea many times over the past couple of years. Every time I mention it to anyone, especially to younger people who seemed to have traded TV for Hulu altogether, they all say the same thing: "If Apple built a TV, I'd buy it."

With the market the way it is, I think people would go nuts over a branded Apple television. It would inch Apple over Exxon as the largest company in the world, a position it held briefly a week or two ago. Apple would sweat to meet demand for these TVs.

And you can be certain that there would be some sort of internet/Macintosh/iPad/iPhone integration. Perhaps an extreme integration with the iPhone, so you could transfer calls to the TV, or whatever.

For years, people have been trying to integrate TVs and phones. I first saw a system in the 1980s that would ring the phone on the TV. It stirred little interest back then, but imagine what it could do today with the changed attitudes. Anything goes.

How about a video conference via FaceTime on the iPhone, utilizing a stream to the 50-inch Apple TV? There are some serious uses that can result from a lash-up like that. As for all the internet and IPTV shows out there, if anyone can make these streams work in a sensible way, it's Apple.

Apple should branch out into areas of consumer electronics where it can leverage its brand name, image, and logo. While it should steer clear of electric toothbrushes and light fixtures, there are a few arenas that need a leader. Curiously, the TV business is one of them.

The last dominant player in TV was during the CRT era when the Sony Trinitron owned the color TV business. I see nothing like that today. There's Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, Vizio and a slew of also-rans. There are not lust-worthy TVs. Most people look for a decent brand at the best price.

Ideally, Apple stores could sell them as TVs or as large screens for corporate presentations. The computers could be hooked to the TVs to show off the high resolution and compatibility.

Apple's next move after the Apple TV? I'm not sure. The company must avoid areas of consumer electronics where it cannot gain the Apple edge, like digital cameras, for example. It's hard to imagine Apple outdoing the likes of the major Japanese camera makers.

But, rather than make a new product, Apple could possibly use the brand power to authorize a premium version of a product. Say Apple wants to sell a line of digital cameras in its stores. It could make a deal to sell an "Apple Edition" of, say, a Nikon camera. It would be optimized (supposedly) to use in conjunction with Apple products. It could sport a special Apple color. Apple mavens would welcome such an alliance.

The company toyed with these sorts of joint marketing ideas with its special edition iPods, just not with third party products.

The possibilities are endless for a company whose logo is priceless.

Apple iPhone 4S Case Shows Changed Antenna Design

Rumor mills are already busy with the happenings around Apple’s iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S. To add to the business, the case design of the cheaper version of iPhone 4 has been revealed.

The design suggests that Apple has made changes to the antenna design as well. The mid frame images show two antenna breaks at the bottom of the casing, which are believed to provide support for different mobile frequencies.

The antenna breaks in this one are different from both the GSM and CDMA versions of the iPhone 4 of AT&T and Verizon. In the AT&T version, the antenna breaks are found in two spots while in the Verizon version, they are both at the top side of the casing.

There is a slot for a SIM card which suggests that at a minimum, it will support the GSM standard like AT&T’s iPhone 4. The design also shows that unlike the iPhone4, this one does not have a defined Home Button area, according to iFixit’s Scott Head.

There is a cut out area in the iPhone 4’s corresponding part. It is also being said that Apple might change the Home Button area on the iPhone 5.

The mute switch and the volume switches are on the same side of the casing, like the iPhone 4. It is believed that these are the parts of the iPhone 4, but these may also be the parts of the iPhone 5 as well.

We are all ears for further developments in this matter.

Samsung Bada 2.0 to Appear in 3 New Handsets

Samsung’s own mobile Operating System, Bada, is undergoing a makeover and the next version is all set to feature on three new handsets coming by the end of 2011. The devices come under the Wave brand, which already use the earlier version of Bada.

The Bada 2.0 will have new features like multi-tasking, NFC and Voice-Recognition. NFC and Voice Recognition are being used by many platforms now, so it’s not a novel surprise.

The added functions will ensure that customers who lack internet access have access to services like mobile payments, transport card top-ups and file sharing. The operating system also has enhanced support for Flash and HTML-based applications.

Developer partners of the South-Korean company will be able to harvest additional revenue, as the Bada 2.0 allows in-app ads through the Ads API. Samsung Mobile UK and Ireland Managing Director, Simon Stanford, made it clear that though they will be continuing their partnership with Google nd Microsoft, the Bada would be their priority as they look forward to making it a leading mobile platform.

As of now, Samsung mobiles focus on Android platform. With the emergence of the new version of Bada, the company will be boarding up new purchasing opions and recommendations via the Samsung App Store.

The App Store has currently around 40000 applications and had achieved the milestone of 100 million downloads in March of this year. Those who are interested in app development can avail of the Bada 2.0 Software Development Kit (SDK) from www.developer.bada.com.