Around the World

» In US: In an attempt to boost ailing business and restore some of the goodwill and warm feelings for the brand, Starbucks is bringing back its old iconic logo (along with a new coffee blend) at the Pike Place Starbucks in Seattle for about eight weeks. It will remain in ads and also serve as the logo for the new roast blend. “Now that Howard Schultz is back at the helm, [reintroduction of the old icon] is definitely a nostalgia effort and a strong push to get back to the core values of the company” says a spokesperson.

» In UK: Rail travel is experiencing an unprecedented demand. Threat of climate change is encouraging people to find greener ways for travel. The country is currently planning a rail network that can carry 180 million more passengers over the next six years, a growth of 22%.

» In India: Top Indian software makers, including Wipro and Infosys, are set to report only modest gains due to a sluggish U.S. economy, where as previous years have seen tremendous growth. Investors will focus on new orders, pricing and hiring plans as the export-driven industry battles a fall in profit growth.

» In China: Nokia is dominating the mobile phone market (holding a 35.3% share). The firm sold 70.7 million phones in China last year, up 38.6% year-on-year. That made China Nokia’s largest mobile phone market, accounting for 16% of its global sales. Nokia attributes its success to a revamped distribution strategy that focuses on alliances with smaller provincial distributors rather than building relations with national distributors.

Newfangled Things

» Yahoo officially entered the analytic business by acquiring IndexTools. IndexTools offers web analytics software with a focus on delivering a “highly customizable and scalable analytics platform.” The service competes with other analytics providers as well as Google Analytics and Microsoft adCenter Analytics. Upon completion of the acquisition, IndexTools’ assets well be used to expand Yahoo’s set of online marketing services, with additional capabilities enabling third-party developers to monitor and optimize traffic performance of applications.

» Flickr users can now add video clips alongside their photos, a much requested and anticipated feature that has been in the works for over a year. Videos can be only 90 seconds in length and 150MB in size (though the limitations may be changed later). Only Pro account holders can upload videos (it costs $25/yr to be a Pro user), although both free and pro users can view videos. As with photos, videos can be made public or private. They can also be shared/embedded individually or as part of sets.

» Real estate search site HotPads will show you, in stark colors, exactly how the mortgage credit crisis is spreading across the country. Basically, HotPads is a map mashups that take foreclosure data from RealtyTrac and overlay them on a color-coded map. Red indicates a high rate of property foreclosures per capita, and blue indicates a low level. Since foreclosures are now hitting record rates, there is a lot of red on these maps. In Silicon Valley, for instance, only a few pockets like Palo Alto and Sunnyvale remain in the blue. A view of New York City shows the foreclosures beginning to close in on Manhattan from the outer boroughs.

» Engage aims to make online dating a more social and effective experience. Engage differentiates itself from traditional dating sites (Match, eHarmony, PlentyofFish, etc) by getting friends involved in the process of finding you that perfect match. Members can invite real-life friends to become friends on Engage. Once onboard, friends sit in a list on the left side of site (kinda like a virtual board) and they stay with you wherever you go. These friends are there to help break the ice and determine who’s worth your time. They can suggest people to you and write recommendations and introductory notes. The site is designed much like a social network, which should make it accessible to those familiar with Facebook, et al.

» SueEasy, a Shangri-La for ambulance chasers, is now live and wreaking litigious havoc on the web. Basically, it’s a “harmonious and efficient system” for the filing of lawsuits. The site allows people to file (or search for) grievances, join with others looking for a payout, and eventually get the attention of a first class ambulance chaser to take your case. Hilarious, and potentially very useful, concept!

» Jiffle wants to make scheduling meetings an easier process. How? By enabling users to create appointments on other people’s calendars. The program is fully integrated with Outlook and will soon be compatible with Google Calendar too. Upon opening a Jiffle calendar, users are presented with a schedule of their associate’s availability. With a few clicks, a new appointment can be created with ease.

» MasterCard, in partnership with Royal Bank of Scotland, is launching a corporate card that allows companies to set strict parameters on which restaurants, bars, and hotels their employees can patronize. Here’s how the card works: Using a Web-based interface, a supervisor can set an overall spending limit for an individual employee or an entire staff category, as well as compile a list of approved hotels and restaurants (e.g.—Au bon Pain, okay; Per Se, not okay). They can also choose to have charges declined after a certain hour or at questionable establishments. Excessively watchful managers will delight over a feature that allows them to receive real-time updates on their employees’ spending via e-mail or text message. Sounds a little Big Brother-ish. . .