Commission Breakthrough - Bruce Kelly - Video Review - Does It Work?

million-dollars-a-month-softwarePRLog (Press Release) - Mar 18, 2012 -
Don't you just LOVE those product pitches where the guy (in this case Bruce Kelly) tells you he 'doesn't need your money' and then goes on to try to SELL you the software.

Why would anyone who makes ZILLIONS of dollars each month with a software program sell it to you for less than fifty bucks?

Let me ask the question a different way...

If a product raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars, each month, for its creator why would he/she sell it to you at all -- let alone for such a small price tag?

Go ahead...think about it...I'll give you a few seconds...

Okay. Got the answer?

Well, if you answered:

A) Because he has such a good heart and wants to share his wealth with the world.

or

B) He is making so much money that he can't stand it and must give away his trade secret.

or

C) He is trying to end the recession all by himself.

You would be WRONG!

The ONLY reason that someone is selling a software program that makes hundreds of thousands of dollars each month is...

(wait for it...)

...BECAUSE IT DOES NOT WORK!

And they need to get the money from you by selling the software program.

Listen, when you finally get tired of "The Flavor of The Week" and want to earn money online the way that Real People do go to the link below:

http://www.mlwblog.com/dollar-offer.htm

******

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuZA_MJvTD0

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5MoreMoney.Com - Review - Should You Join - Or Can You Still Join?

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 18, 2012 -
When I got to 5MoreMoney.Com it was no longer there.

That's what makes internet marketing so tricky. You've got to know what you are doing!

Internet marketing ties together the creative and technical aspects of the Internet, including design, development, advertising and sales. Internet marketing also refers to the placement of media along many different stages of the customer engagement cycle through search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), banner ads on specific websites, email marketing, mobile advertising, and Web 2.0 strategies.

But what I really want to talk about is the interview with a famous internet marketer interviewing an 'infamous' direct mail marketer.

The direct mail marketer made so much money OFF line that it will make your head spin. The only problem with the interview is that he uses the phrase "you know" easily a thousand times.

But what he reveals in the audio is worth putting up with this conversation 'tick' that he has. I seen others selling this audio interview for as much as $27 dollars. But you can listen to it for FREE at the link below:

http://mlwblog.com/russell-brunson/

But hurry! Not quite sure how long it will be available.

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Tax review says fuel duty must go

14 September 2011 Last updated at 10:33 GMT The Mirrlees Review was conducted over five years and produced two volumes Replacement of fuel duty with a congestion charge is among a number of measures suggested in a blueprint for the tax system by a leading think tank.

The Mirrlees Review, by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, claimed that the UK tax system was inefficient and complex.

In a blueprint for long-term reform, it said an overhaul of the system would benefit the economy by tens of billions of pounds and create thousands of jobs.

Ideas included abolishing property stamp duty and expanding VAT.

"[The tax system] could raise as much revenue and achieve as much redistribution as it currently does in far less costly ways," said Nobel Prize-winning economist Sir James Mirrlees, who led the review.

"There is no getting away from the political difficulty associated with some of the proposed changes. But there is also no getting away from the enduring costs of failure to reform."

A spokeswoman for the Treasury said: "The government has embarked on a programme of ambitious reforms of the tax system to address the instability of recent years.

"These are based on clear principles to support growth, reward work, reduce complexity and increase fairness."

Direction

The review, which took five years to complete, said in its final report that the government took about £4 in every £10 earned in the economy in taxation.

But the authors claimed that, despite the huge sums involved, there was no clear direction for tax policy.

Council tax is "unnecessarily regressive", the review suggests

They suggested that taxation of housing was a "mess", income tax and National Insurance were pointlessly separate, and environmental taxes were "arbitrary and inconsistent".

One of the most striking - and shorter term - recommendations was to bring in a comprehensive system of congestion charging to replace duty on petrol and diesel.

It said that greater fuel efficiency and the advance of electric cars would reduce the income for the government anyway from this form of taxation.

Other recommendations included:

Linking council tax to up-to-date values of homes, rather than a 1991 valuation, and abolishing stamp dutyMerging income tax and National Insurance. Confusion of the system was clear when many basic rate taxpayers paid more in National Insurance contributions than income taxExtending VAT to nearly all spending. The current system sees means consumers are not charged VAT on items such as food and children's clothingMaking all savings tax free if they do not involve any risk, to avoid saving being discouraged by the tax systemChanging corporation tax in order for businesses to avoid an excess reliance on debt

One additional recommendation that could be made a priority, according to the review's authors, was changing the tax system to provide more incentives for 55 to 70-year-olds and parents of school age children to go to work.

For example, this could include making child tax credits more generous for families whose youngest child was under five, but less generous after they reached five years old.

For the older generation, one idea would be to reduce the age at which a more generous tax-free personal allowance was available from 65 to 55, but to raise the eligibility age for Pension Credit to 70.

The review said that such changes could put 200,000 more people in work and increase total earnings by nearly £3bn.

'Tyranny'

The review did not comment on the fairness of the system, or the level at which tax was levied, but on the way the UK system operated.

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said that the "tyranny of the status quo" meant that there would always be some losers if a tax system was altered.

Continue reading the main story

I expect the political will to engage in this level of radicalism is not quite there”

End Quote Francesca Lagerberg Grant Thornton But he argued that failure to come up with long-term changes was costing the country.

"Successive governments have failed to set out a coherent strategy for tax. As a result the current set of taxes is complex and often incoherent and they impose a much greater cost on the economy than need be," he said.

He accepted that many of the recommended changes would be difficult politically, and he said the blueprint was aimed at providing direction for the tax system over the next 10 to 20 years.

Regarding current debate about the 50p top rate of income tax, he said it was difficult to tell at present whether this was bringing in more income for the government.

Reacting to the Mirrlees Review, Francesca Lagerberg, from Grant Thornton, said: "If you were starting today, without any of the baggage from the patchwork quilt of the tax system, a lot of what they are saying is very sensible.

"The problem is we are not starting with a clean sheet. To get these issues agreed by politicians and implemented is a massive change that could take a long, long time.

"In the current economic climate, I expect the political will to engage in this level of radicalism is not quite there."

The Treasury said that it would need to look carefully at any costing of tax reforms, which had not been addressed in the Mirrlees Review.

It added that some of the reforms suggested in the review were already in the pipeline, such as simplification of the benefits system and integrating the operation of National Insurance and income tax.

It had also formed the Office of Tax Simplification, and was reforming the state pension.

Meanwhile, proposals would be published in the autumn that would make the personal tax system more transparent.

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Smart Netphone 701 Review

After taking some time using the Netphone 701 under the SmartNet, I think I finally got where this is headed and how it is going to boil down. Check out our review of the Netphone 701 and the Netphone ecosystem after the jump.

We looked at two aspects in this review as they are practically married to each other — the hardware (Netphone 701) and the ecosystem (SmartNet).

The Hardware

The choice of OEM, ZTE, for the Netphone 701 is interesting. The ZTE Blade is a successful handset in China and also enjoyed some relative popularity in Europe as the Orange San Francisco.

With a 3.5? display, the Netphone 701 places itself somewhere in the mid-range category of Android smartphones. Its two-tone black and dark-brown color with silver accent reminds us of a long lost HTC device.

It’s got some heft to it despite the plastic construction and the matte finish all around the body helps prevent the unit from being slippery and prone to fingerprints. The power button and 3.5mm port is on top, volume rocker and speakers are on the right side, microUSB port on the left and mic at the bottom.

The front panel is all glass with a single, thin strip of button at the bottom for the usual Android controls (Home, Menu and Back). The LCD display is bright, crisp and sports a high pixel density of 270dpi at 480×800 resolution. There’s some noticeable LED light leaking out of the side when the screen is set to a dark background — nothing biggie to worry about.

Smart Netphone 701 specs:
3.5? LCD display @ 480×800 pixels
600 MHz ARM 11 processor
Adreno 200 GPU
512MB RAM
Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset
HSDPA 7.2Mbps; HSUPA 5.76Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi hotspot
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
3MP autofocus camera
FM radio tuner
GPS w/ aGPS support
Li-Ion battery 1250mAh
Android 2.2 Froyo

The 3.2-megapixel camera at the back is said to be autofocus but the focusing is terrible and the images are very blurry and pixelated you can’t even get single a decent photo out of it. There’s no camera flash or dedicated shutter button here too.

Despite the low processor speed, the handset performs well, thanks to that ample internal memory (430MB to be exact). Playing Angry Birds is smooth and flawless, movie playback is good but don’t expect any HD movies here. We got a score of 422 on Quadrant (which is close to the Xperia X10i). You may sometimes encounter some lags or slowness but that’s pretty common to most Android phones.

Capacitive touch screen is responsive and scrolling is smooth. It’s the hardware buttons up in the front that’s a little small and hard to press that’s quite frustrating at times. The virtual keyboard is also a bit cramped in portrait mode but it’s nice that they added some haptic feedback when you type on the keys.

Over-all performance is decent, not very impressive, but is expected in most handsets in this category and price-point.

The Netphone 701 runs on stock Android 2.2 Froyo with no additional custom UI on top, except for the widgets added by Smart.

Contrary to my interview with Smart representatives regarding upgrade to Android 2.3 Gingerbread, it looks like the Netphone 701 will not get any future updates (based on their FAQ).

Will my Netphone support future releases of Android OS?

The Netphone does not support future Android OS releases.

I think it will really depend on ZTE if they’re going to push Gingerbread on this device.

There’s a Netphone/ZTE PC Suite stored in the microSD card which you can install and use to sync data and contacts with the device but it requires that USB Debugging is switched on (an odd thing which indicates the software might not be ready for commercial use).

Smart promises more handsets in the future — probably cheaper ones since they’re really targeting the masses here. The naming system follows the way Nokia does to their handsets (number indicates category, class and iteration), only that with Smart, it will be manufactured by several OEMs.

The SmartNet

The SmartNet is Smart’s own version of a mobile social network and is the heart of the Netphone ecosystem. It is complemented with a suite of Android Apps and widgets developed by Smart to work with the handset and the OS — the Smart Inbox, IM, Social Stream and Smart Center.

I especially liked the widget that displays a running balance of your prepaid account. It’s not really shown in real-time (there’s a timestamp when the balance was last updated) but a nice feature altogether (I think Smart should just release this app/widget to all Smart Android devices soon).

The Global Directory is an interesting feature which lists all Netphone users. There you can search for friends and contact and add them as a friend. The biggest shortcoming though is that the directory is not moderated so anyone can just assume any name (imagine a hundred Sam Pinto in the directory) so it’s pretty hard to verify the identity. This could also be an opportunity for abuse later on (spam and scam, anyone?).

Those who are Twitter and Facebook addicts will love the Social Stream. I just wish they included FourSquare into the package as well.

The Netphone Plans

For postpaid accounts, the Netphone 701 is free at Plan 1200 which closely competes with the HTC Chacha, Samsung Galaxy Mini and HTC Wildfire S which are all free at Smart Unlimited Data Plan 1500.

For prepaid kits, the Netphone 701 retails for Php9,900. The price point competes directly with the LG Optimus One, Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro and Samsung Galaxy Fit.

Access to SmartNet is free for now (Smart says until end of December) so after that you will be paying Php999 per month to get 1GB of web surfing, 3 hours 20 minutes of free calls, 3,500 free SMS, unlimited access to your Social Stream and IM.

In essence, expect to spend a maximum of Php999 per month to fully appreciate the Netphone — how else can you use a Netphone if you don’t pay for net access, right?

The Verdict

While Android is the platform that the Netphone rides on, it is important to note that the SmartNet ecosystem is what makes this whole package a Netphone. They complement each other and the Netphone experience is crippled without SmartNet.

It’s like getting a BlackBerry handset without applying for a BIS account. In essence, you can look at it say Smart wants a piece of that BlackBerry pie.

The handset is decent, capable and sits between the low mid-range to entry-level category of Android smartphones. While the processor is typically slow (most entry-level Android phones starts at 600MHz), the amount of RAM (420MB to be exact) is actually generous it’s more than what the old HTC Desire, Xperia X10 or Galaxy S have. Too bad Gingerbread update is not supported according to Smart so you’re stuck with Froyo on this device.

The biggest opportunity for Smart here is to deliver the complete suite regardless of the handset and allow any subscriber using an Android device to just download the suite of apps, subscribe to a plan and become part of the whole Netphone ecosystem.

Disclosure: The unit used in the photos above was among the 10 raffle prizes Smart gave away during the media event last week.

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ZTE MF60 HSPA+ Pocket WiFi Review

We featured this HSPA+ capable mobile hotspot from ZTE a few weeks ago and we’ve finally gotten a review unit to test. Like many other pocket WiFi (MiFi) devices before it, the ZTE MF60 is one pretty kick-ass unit. If only it were more affordable.

The ZTE MF60 looks like your typical portable mobile hotspot device — small, lightweight, bar soap shaped 3G/WiFi router. Unlike the previous ones we’ve seen and reviewed here, this one actually supports HSPA+ networks — just like the Tonino Lamborghini Tattoo stick and the Smart Bro Rocket.

That means you can theoretically reach as fast as 21Mbps over mobile internet. Of course locally, we only have Globe promising up to 10Mbps and up to 12Mbps with Smart on their respective HSPA+ networks.

The performance, coverage and actual street speeds of the telcos are another matter altogether. Here’s our collective speed tests for Globe HSPA+ and Smart HSPA+.

Given these initial test data as control points, we tried out the ZTE MF60 if it can achieve similar or better results.

The MF60 comes with the usual accessories — the wall charger, 1500mAh removable Li-Ion battery, a micro-USB cable. It’s got a microSD card slot on the side (up to 32GB, card sold separately) and a CRC9 port for connecting an external antenna. The SIM card slot is found inside, beneath the battery compartment.

There’s a small OLED display, about 2cm x 1cm, at the front that shows the battery life indicator, signal strength, connection status, cellular network, WiFi status and number of devices connected.

The device supports a slew of GSM cellular networks and frequencies, ranging from GPRS all the way up to HSPA+.

ZTE MF60 4G MiFi Router
HSDPA/HSUPA/UMTS 850/1900/2100 MHz
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
HSPA+: DL 21.6Mbps, UL 5.76Mbps
WCDMA CS: 64Kbps UL/DL
WCDMA PS: 384Kbps UL/DL
WiFi Standard: 802.11 b/g/n
WiFi Security: WEP/WPA/WPA2/WAPI
Up to 8 concurrent users/devices on WiFi

The WiFi router supports speeds on the local network of up to 54Mbps and can handle a maximum of 8 wireless devices at the same time.

The device performs really well and connects to the network in less than 20 seconds from the Off state. The old MyFi devices can take between 30 seconds to 1 minute to do the same.

It auto-detects the cellular network for the SIM card so when you slap a Globe, Smart or Sun Cellular SIM, it automatically plugs in the correct APN settings.

ZTE used a web-based administration panel for the MF60 (provided by GoAhead Webserver) and supports a lot of operating systems (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, etc).

Device management and even SMS management can be done via the web interface, which is great since you can send text messages thru the device over WiFi (mostly used for subscribing to data plans or balance inquiry).

The only downside here is that if you’re having problems connecting to WiFi, you won’t be able to access the admin panel and diagnose the problem. I have not yet experienced that with this unit though. (Update: It will still work as long as you plug the device via USB to the PC and run Mobile Hotspot. Would be a problem if you only have a WiFi phone or tablet with you when that happens.)

Our numerous speed tests in the last two weeks were a bit erratic but, in general, they were impressive to say the least.

This is the best one we got with the Smart network (using the SmartBro Rocket SIM):

Done at the same time of day and same location (3AM, Bangkal, Makati) previously tested on SmartBro Rocket.

I was able to connect to an Smart HSPA+ network once in Megamall (PLDT Jump Center) but only got around 2Mbps downlink speed. The uplink speed was great though at 1.5Mbps (highest I recorded ever).

This is the best one we got on the Globe network (using a regular prepaid Tattoo SIM):

What’s surprising with this one is that I only used a regular prepaid SIM card subscribed on Globe SuperSurf 50. This test was done at Starbucks in Paseo de Magallanes at around 4pm.

Note though that results will greatly vary depending on your location and the time of day.

As for battery life, I was able to squeeze a total of 4 hours and 45 minutes on a single, full charge. This is with continuous use with web surfing on two laptops but with minimal file downloads.

The last 2 weeks with this device has been pretty good — the hardware is impressive and the network connectivity has been very satisfactory both on Globe and Smart networks. I didn’t include speed tests for Sun Cellular since they don’t have HSPA+ yet.

The only downside of this unit is the retail price — Php7,500 a pop (it’s unlocked and actually a rare find). Still not that bad considering the unlocked Huawei E5 (supports HSDPA only) could set you back around Php5k to Php6k.

Disclosure: HotGadgets provided us with this review unit. You can find the item being sold in TipidPC here and in Sulit here.

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Google beefs up Android armament (week in review)

Filed Under:

While beefing up protection for its Android mobile operating system, Google this week made a deal that puts it into the handset business.

Google has agreed to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, giving the search giant valuable wireless intellectual property and simultaneously lending stability to and shaking up the Android world.

With Motorola, Google gets a treasure trove of patents to defend itself and its partners against a rising tide of legal opposition. Over the past few months, major technology players such as Apple and Oracle have sued either Google or its partners in an attempt to slow down their competitors and extract licensing fees.
•  Google just bought itself patent protection

Even though Google said Motorola will continue to run as a separate unit, the deal puts Google in the awkward position of competing against many of its partners. Google is backtracking from its vow not to get into the handset business, adding a new potent competitive threat to a field that is already crowded.
•  Regulatory scrutiny likely for Google-Motorola

When the dust settles over the acquisition, consumers may be the big winners. While, Google has traditionally taken an open approach to the mobile market, making Android free and available to any hardware maker, Apple's strategy of controlling the operating system and building the mobile hardware has given it greater vertical integration. The deal gives Google its own hardware, which could pave the way for the company to create an end-to-end mobile experience akin to what Apple has done with its iOS devices.
•  Five possible responses to Google-Motorola
•  Motorola shareholder sues, says $12.5 billion not enough
•  Complete coverage: Google's $12.5 billion hookup with Motorola Mobility

More headlines

Hewlett-Packard says it will discontinue its WebOS operations, including its TouchPad tablet, as the company cuts its outlook for the next two quarters.
•  What HP's PC spin-off plans mean for you
•  WebOS goes down in quiet death Microsoft President Steven Sinofsky includes the much-rumored feature in a blog identifying the teams working on the next version of Microsoft's operating system.
•  Windows 8 build locked down to prevent leaks?
•  Windows 8 prerelease launching in coming months Database of San Francisco-area transit police accounts, with e-mail addresses and passwords, appears online as a protest to cell phone service disruptions.
•  FCC reviewing SF subway cell shutdown
•  Anonymous defaces BART site, leaks user data
•  SF subway closes stations during Anonymous protest The latest rumors floating about the next version of Apple's smartphone say that it will hit the streets on October 7, with preorders to begin September 30.
•  China Mobile confirms talks with Jobs for iPhone Filing in The Netherlands seeks a ban on importation and sales of Galaxy smartphones and tablets, as well as a stock recall within 14 days, according to a Dutch publication.
•  Samsung Galaxy Tab ban lifted in Europe
•  Is Apple's case against Samsung based on shaky evidence?
•  HTC sues Apple, again A purported issue that had Google+ invites not showing up on Facebook users' news feeds has sparked some subtle suggesting by Google executives that Facebook's trying to muzzle the growth of its new social network.
•  U.K. men get 4-year sentences for Facebook riot posts
•  Brit arrested in water fight planned via Facebook, BlackBerry
•  Facebook: Ceglia contract an 'outright fabrication' Attacks against Facebook and other social networks are on the rise, though users are becoming more diligent about protecting themselves, according to a new survey.
•  Android malware masquerading as Google+ app Some casual measuring of Apple's floor plans for its campus reboot have found that it's slightly larger than another quite famous, uniquely shaped building.
•  New details of Apple's campus: Really 21st century?

Also of note
•  IBM says new chip mimics the human brain
•  Google launches music discovery site
•  Software can tell if you're mean and ugly

If you have a question or comment for Steven Musil, you can submit it here. However, because our editors and writers receive hundreds of requests, we cannot tell you when you may receive a response.

Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. Before joining CNET News in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers. E-mail Steven.

Your destination for the latest news on enterprise-level information technology, from chip research and server design to software issues including programming, open source, and patents.

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Book Review – The Hidden Treasure In Your Website

written by John Chow on August 1, 2011

The Hidden Treasure In Your Website (available in paperback and Kindle edition) is a new book written by Tomer Treves, the Chief Marketing Officer for Infolinks. The book is the first professional guide to monetizing your website or blog with in-text advertising and is highly recommended to everyone who wants to make more money from their sites.

When I talked to Tomer at Blog World in New York, he told me the reason for the title is because in-text advertising really unlocks the hidden treasure in your website. In-text ads are those double underline ads you see on this blog. They look like a link and the ad shows when you hover over it. The nice thing about in-text ads is that it allows you to make money without taking up or replacing any current ad space. It’s like getting free money!

I was an early adapter to in-text advertising because I didn’t want to solely rely on AdSense. Google allows in-text ads to run along side AdSense ads. For publishers, blogs and webmasters who are looking to diversifying their ad partners, in-text advertising is far and away the best accompaniment to Google AdSense.

Ideal for bloggers and website owners, The Hidden Treasure In Your Website tells you how In-Text ads can help you monetize your content. You will discover the many advantages of In-Text ads, and learn how to integrate and optimize them to extract maximum income. Some of the book’s highlights include:

The best ways to make links visually appealingHow to determine where to put In-Text ads and where to turn them offHow to choose the best In-Text ad networkunderstand the interrelations between In-Text ads and Google AdsenseHow to apply In-Text ads to content in languages other than English

Comes with a $1,000 Coupon

Included with The Hidden Treasure In Your Website is another treasure: a $1,000 coupon from Infolinks. If you follow the advice in the book and integrate in-text ads, Infolinks will double your first month’s earnings up to $1,000. Naturally, there’e s a catch. You have to use Infolinks as your in-text service provider. I don’t have a problem with that, since I run Infolinks already and they’ve proven to be a great money maker for me.

I wrote an Infolinks optimization guide back in November, and many bloggers used it to increase their in-text earnings. The Hidden Treasure In Your Website will help you kick it up to another level. If you run, or are thinking of running, in-text advertising on your blog, then I recommend picking up a copy of Tomer’s book. The Hidden Treasure In Your Website is available now at Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle edition.

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Microsoft: Tax review may have significant impact

 

A worker adjusts a logo on the Microsoft stand at the CeBIT computer fair in Hanover in this February 27, 2011 file photo.

Credit: Reuters/Tobias Schwarz

LOS ANGELES | Thu Jul 28, 2011 8:41pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp warned on Thursday that a government review of its U.S. tax obligations in past years could significantly affect its financial statements if not resolved in its favor.

The Internal Revenue Service has looked at Microsoft's use of transfer pricing, among other things, or methods of booking prices and sales between subsidiaries -- often leading to opportunities to report earnings in lower-tax jurisdictions.

Companies routinely and legally book profits overseas to enjoy lower tax rates and avoid stumping up a hefty 35 percent levy on profits in the United States.

But with the United States shouldering a high jobless rate and big budget deficit, there have been increasing calls in Washington for a simplified tax code with a lower corporate tax rate and fewer loopholes. There has also been pressure from major companies on U.S. President Barack Obama's administration to let profits parked offshore be brought home at very low tax rates, to boost investment and jobs.

On Thursday, the world's largest software company said it had accumulated $44.8 billion of non-U.S. earnings -- reinvested abroad -- as of June 2011, translating into deferred taxes of about $14.2 billion.

That marked a sharp jump from the $29.5 billion permanently reinvested overseas as of the end of 2010, meaning $9.2 billion in deferred taxes.

Microsoft did not offer specifics on how it employed cash earned abroad, but reinvestments could encompass anything from buying office equipment to parking it in a bank. While stashing money overseas avoids the repatriation tax, it also means companies have a lot less flexibility in using the money to invest in the United States or other purposes such as dividend payments.

In Thursday's filing, Microsoft said the IRS had issued a Revenue Agent's Report after an examination of the 2004-2006 tax years, but Microsoft was appealing several adjustments cited in the report.

It did not offer details. The company also said it remained subject to IRS examination for the 2007 to 2010 tax years.

"We do not agree with the adjustments in the RAR, and we have filed a protest to initiate the administrative appeals process," Microsoft said in an exchange filing. "The proposed adjustments are primarily related to transfer pricing and could have a significant impact on our financial statements if not resolved favorably.

"However, we believe our existing reserves are adequate."

Part of the IRS issue for the 2004-2006 years was resolved last quarter in Microsoft's favor, with the company recording a $461 million refund.

A DEFT HAND

Experts say Microsoft has proved adept at shrinking its tax bill, and the company itself states that it employs lower-tax foreign jurisdictions.

Microsoft said its lower taxes in the recent quarter were "primarily due to a higher mix of earnings taxed at lower rates in foreign jurisdictions resulting from producing and distributing our products and services through our foreign regional operations centers in Ireland, Singapore and Puerto Rico, which are subject to lower income tax rates."

The details of precisely how it does this have not been disclosed. U.S. companies do not have to break out earnings in foreign subsidiaries, making it hard to determine from financial filings how much tax they are saving through each jurisdiction.

In response to stock regulators' requests, Microsoft also took the extra step of breaking out sales by region and product, providing a more detailed snapshot of its business.

It said 46 percent of its sales came from outside the United States, or about $32 billion, in fiscal 2011, up from 42 percent in 2010.

However, pre-tax profits booked overseas nearly tripled over the past six years, to $19.2 billion in the fiscal year that just ended, from $6.8 billion in the year ended in June 2006, according to company filings.

In contrast, its U.S. earnings have dropped, to $8.9 billion from $11.4 billion in the same period. Foreign earnings now make up 68 percent of overall income.

(Reporting by Edwin Chan and Lynnley Browning; Editing by Richard Chang)

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Norway police face review, think killer acted alone (Reuters)

OSLO (Reuters) – Police are increasingly certain that mass killer Anders Behring Breivik acted alone, but are leaving no stone unturned in the hunt for collaborators as they try to close one of the bloodiest chapters in Norway's history.

Breivik, 32, killed eight people in a bomb attack in central Oslo last Friday and then shot 68 at an island summer camp for the ruling Labor Party's youth wing.

He has told police he was part of a network in his self-styled "crusade" against Islam and multiculturalism -- but Norwegian authorities doubt this.

"So far we have no indication that he has any accomplices or that there are more cells," the head of the Norwegian Police Security Service, Janne Kristiansen, told Reuters on Wednesday. His claim was likely to have been a play for publicity, she said.

Kristiansen said there would be no let-up in hunting Breivik's possible partners, however unlikely, or in police monitoring of extremists.

"As long as there is a tiny chance...we have to investigate it -- that is our main focus," said Kristiansen, who added that Breivik was "too calculated, too focused" to be considered insane.

Norway's parliament has promised a review of the country's security services and their actions during Breivik's attacks. The government said on Wednesday it would pay the costs of burying the mostly teenaged and twenty-something victims.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg urged his countrymen to participate in the open debate and democracy that Breivik had cruelly silenced at the camp.

Days after the attacks, Norwegians may be doing just that, with the Labor Party reporting a surge in applications. An opinion poll showed 80 percent believed the prime minister had performed "extremely well" in the crisis.

Staring at thousands of flowers outside Oslo cathedral in the sunshine, physiotherapist Aase Bergheim, 41, said she now saw Stoltenberg, and Norway, differently.

"The prime minister, I now see him in a new light, because he's shown he can gather the people. People are smiling at each other now. I don't usually vote for him, but maybe in future," she said.

(Writing and additional reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Editing by Louise Ireland and Mark Trevelyan)

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