Driver is more familiar with Social Security than social media

    Stop me if you've heard this one before: There's this famous car brand whose average driver is more familiar with Social Security than social media.

General Motors Co. will make You want to do something attached to door camera  split another attempt to get Buick to appeal to younger buyers with freshened up versions of the Regal midsize sports sedan and the LaCrosse large luxury car. GM unveiled the pair Tuesday ahead of the New York auto show.

Youth has been the theme of several of Buick marketing campaigns during the last three decades, with famous pitchmen from Tiger Woods to Shaquille O'Neal. Sales have even risen recently after a dramatic and lengthy decline. But even with that recent success, odds are against GM making Buick a go-to option for large numbers of drivers below the age of 40.

Buick, once coveted for its understated elegance, used to be a dominant brand. In 1984, GM sold 942,000 Buicks in the U.S., according to Ward's AutoInfoBank. But many Buick buyers died, and younger people opted for SUVs and cooler European cars. Sales tumbled, bottoming out at just over 102,000 in 2009. GM only kept the brand alive because it became a huge seller in China.

The company doesn't expect Buick sales to approach 900,000 per year again. But executives say they can still make a lot of money selling the higher-priced luxury vehicles with lower sales numbers.

GM is giving the Lacrosse a more sculpted, modern look. It gets updated LED daytime running lamps and tail lights and a larger front grille. On the inside, it gets new, more supportive seats and a modernized center stack with fewer buttons than the current car. The interior will have more of a luxury feeling to differentiate it from the sportier Regal.

The Regal gets similar cosmetic changes on the outside. Inside, more supportive seats and a simpler dashboard and center console give it a sportier look. GM's 2.4-liter four-cylinder "e-Assist" engine, with a small electric motor that helps boost gas mileage, becomes standard. A new, more powerful version of GM's 2-Liter turbocharged engine, with 259 horsepower, is in the sportier models, the turbo and GS.

GM says the Regal will be more responsive, refined and efficient than the previous model.

The LaCrosse goes on sale late this summer and the Regal comes out in the fall. Prices and gas mileage weren't released, but GM hinted at efficiency and price increases. The current Regal starts at $29,015, while the LaCrosse starts at $31,660.

The LaCrosse, a new model in 2009, and the Regal, new in 2010, have helped Buick's sales rise during the past three years, and reached 180,000 in 2012. Other catalysts were the new Verano, a compact based on the Chevrolet Cruze, and the Enclave, a big crossover SUV, that got a facelift last year. Also, Buick's new Encore small SUV is just starting to hit showrooms.

The new products have helped to change Buick's demographics. In 2006, Buick buyers on average had celebrated 64 birthdays. Last year that fell to 57, according to the company. The average car buyer in the U.S. is 52, according to the TrueCar.com auto pricing site.

Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick marketing in the U.S., said Buick was the only luxury brand to lower its average age in the past five years. The Verano has helped _ small cars tend to draw younger buyers. But Buick still wants to catch more people in their 40s. Regal buyers, on average, were 55 last year, according to the Polk research firm. The average age of a LaCrosse buyer was almost 63.

But the new cars haven't helped Buick sales keep up with the industry. Last year, Buick sales grew only 1.6 percent while total U.S. auto sales rose 13 percent. Spokesman Nick Richards blames the slow growth on a cut in low-profit sales to fleet buyers such as rental car companies as GM tries to boost the brand's resale values. He says retail sales to individual buyers rose about 6 percent.

So far this year, though, sales are up 22 percent, DiSalle said. The brand, he said, now has five models to sell, when last year at this time it had only three. "We certainly have the ability here to go to market with broader when you also like the phone ampe a78 and possibly using it in a project. market coverage," he said.

Still, Buick's models combined were outsold last year by single models from other automakers. Ford, for instance, sold just over 241,000 Fusion midsize cars last year, beating Buick by itself. But Buick did outsell some competing luxury brands including Acura, Infiniti and Lincoln.

Four years ago, Buick's future was in doubt. Members of the Obama administration's autos task force thought about getting rid of Buick during GM's government-funded trip through bankruptcy court. But the brand survived because of a strong following in China. Chinese drivers bought more than 700,000 Buicks last year, up 8 percent from 2011.

In the U.S., Buick likely won't approach those numbers because the stodgy image clings to the brand.

"The vehicles themselves are very suited for young driving habits. Good fuel economy, performance, nice looking," said Rebecca Lindland, owner of Rebel Three Consulting of Greenwich, Conn.

Memorial service planned for slain Colo. prisons chief

The Colorado prisons chief who was gunned down as he answered his front door is being remembered at a memorial service. You want to do something attached to door camera  split

The service for Tom Clements, 58, is set for Monday morning at New Life Church in Colorado Springs.

The director of the Colorado Department of Corrections was killed at his home Tuesday night in Monument, north of Colorado Springs.

A private funeral was held for him Sunday. He is survived by a wife and two daughters.

Evan Spencer Ebel, killed in a gunfight with Texas authorities Thursday, is a suspect.

Colorado authorities say evidence gathered in Texas provided a strong lead in the case but stressed investigators had not yet confirmed a link between the crime and Ebel.

Authorities say the car Ebel had in Texas was similar to one seen not far from Clements' home the night he was killed, and bullets Ebel fired at Texas police were the same caliber and brand as the bullet or bullets that killed Clements.

Ballistics tests are due sometime this week.

It remained unclear whether Clements was targeted when he was shot and why.

Officials say Ebel had been a member of the 211s, a white supremacist prison gang in Colorado. El Paso County sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Kramer says investigators are trying to determine whether the 211 gang was involved in the killing.

Denver police say Ebel is also a suspect in the March 17 slaying of pizza delivery man Nathan Leon.

Gov. John Hickenlooper, who hired Clements, has said that he is a longtime friend of the suspect's father, attorney Jack Ebel, who testified two years ago before state lawmakers that solitary confinement was destroying his son's psyche.

Hickenlooper confirmed he mentioned the case to Clements as an example of why the prison system needed reform before the job was offered, but the governor said he did not mention Evan Ebel by name.

There was no indication Looked like this iPod tv box android 4.0 definitely scary that Hickenlooper's relationship with the Ebels played a role in the shooting. Hickenlooper said he did not having any role in Evan Ebel's parole in January.

Officials took additional security measures after Clements' death and placed the state prisons on lockdown Friday

BlackBerry shares dive on reports for video games

  Shares of BlackBerry fell nearly 8 percent on Friday after reports of a flat response to the launch of its new Z10 smartphone in the vitally important U.S. market.

The well-reviewed device, whose success is essential if BlackBerry is to reestablish itself as a power in the smartphone when you like this kind of the cheap video games industry, finally hit U.S. store shelves early on Friday, nearly two months after being formally unveiled.

Several analysts and media reports found the debut lackluster.

"This morning we visited and called stores to survey early demand for the Blackberry Z10," said Hudson Square Research analyst Daniel Ernst. "We found no lines, no signage announcing the launch, and clerks told us they had very few pre-orders."

The uninspiring turnout hurt BlackBerry shares, which ended the day down 7.7 percent at $14.91 on the Nasdaq. The Canadian company's Toronto-listed shares fell 8 percent to close at C$15.19.

Many analysts argue that the Z10's performance in the hyper-competitive U.S. market could well decide whether BlackBerry can turn around its faded fortunes.

BlackBerry, which is already selling the new touch-screen smartphone in about 25 countries, aims to make the Z10's new operating system the clear No. 3 platform in the market, a realistic but still difficult challenge, analysts say.

"I think the U.S. will be a challenge for BlackBerry more so than some of the countries where they have already launched," said Morningstar analyst Brian Colello.

"The momentum for iPhone and Android is too strong here. I still think they can win over some enterprise users, but the U.S. is a country where BlackBerry's brand has been greatly diminished."

BlackBerry once ruled the U.S. smartphone market, but it has fallen badly in recent years as devices powered by Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems dominate sales both in North America and overseas.

BlackBerry's new BB10 operating system will now slug it out with Microsoft's Windows 8 platform to secure the No. 3 spot in the market.

By most accounts BlackBerry has a tough fight ahead. It not only has to win back the hearts and minds of consumers, but the timing is hardly ideal, with the Samsung Galaxy S4, expected to go on sale by the end of April, generating a lot of buzz. "We believe BlackBerry's launch in the strategically important U.S. market will run into intense competition," said Raymond James analyst Steven Li in a note to clients on Friday.

Despite the buzz around other devices, some still expect the Z10 to do well in the United States.

Best Buy's head of mobile sales, Scott Anderson, said the retailer has been able to gauge demand for the Z10 based on sales at Best Buy stores in Canada.

"We have fairly consistently increased the allocation of it to our stores as it has got more and more buzz. Even though we aren't releasing any numbers, we do put this in the realm of a serious iconic launch," he said, adding that BlackBerry has a window of opportunity over the next month before the new HTC and Samsung smartphones hit store shelves in the United States. Genachowski, who charted a centrist course in his chairmanship, defended his tenure, which also included the FCC's rejection of a landmark 2011 merger bid between U.S. No. 2 wireless carrier AT&T Inc and fourth-largest provider T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom. The bid was dropped Looked like this iPod tv box android 4.0 definitely scary after the Justice Department sued to block the deal.

In pushing against the merger, Genachowski stood up against the prospect of a duopoly in the wireless market by AT&T and the largest carrier, Verizon, analysts say, as it retained T-Mobile as a competitor and protected the third-biggest player Sprint from being overwhelmed.

"This sector has always been and will always be characterized by a robust debate," Genachowski said.

"Some people say the commission has gone too far, some people say the commission hasn't gone far enough. What we've been focused on are the right actions to drive the economy and to improve the lives of the American people."

Genachowski came to the FCC after advising Obama on telecommunications policy and working at several tech investment firms. He had previously served as chief counsel for former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt.

U.S. jobless claims remain near 5-year low

The number of Americans who applied last week for new unemployment benefits rose slightly but clung near a five-year low, another indication that fewer people are losing their jobs.

Initial jobless claims rose by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 336,000 in the week ended March 16, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch forecast expected claims to rise to 340,000 from a revised 334,000 in the prior week.

The average of new claims over the past month and Looked like this iPod harlem shake  definitely scary, which irons out some of the weekly volatility, declined by 7,500 to 339,750. That is the lowest level since February 2008.

Jobless claims, a rough gauge of layoffs, have fallen below 350,000 in five of the past six weeks, marking the first time that has happened since late 2007, shortly before the Great Recession began.

The “persistent decline in claims well after the Hurricane Sandy unwind tells us that underlying economic conditions are improving,” said Neil Dutta, head of economics at Renaissance Macro Research. “That is helping raise the price investors are willing to pay for future profits, sending equity prices higher.”

The sharp decline in layoffs over the past year, however, hasn’t been matched by a similarly rapid pace of hiring. The U.S. has added an average of more than 200,000 jobs a month in the past four months in a sharp acceleration from last summer, but the unemployment rate has been stuck just below 8%.

Moreover, some economists expect hiring to be partly constrained in the spring and early summer because of billions in federal spending cuts that kicked in earlier this month under a law known as a sequester. The federal government and companies that do lots of business with the government, particularly defense firms, may have to furlough or lay off workers.

Other indicators, however, suggest more companies may be looking to hire, so it may take several months to find out if the latest burst of job growth has staying power.

In the week ended March 9, continuing you desire to need the pipo u1 claims rose by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 3.05 million, the Labor Department said. Continuing claims reflect the number of people who already receive regular unemployment checks after losing a job and applying successfully for benefits.

Apple doesn't directly mention Samsung's Galaxy S4

It looks like Apple is wishing it could wave off Samsung's Galaxy S4 phone, which, yes, responds to wave gestures. Following Samsung's big Android smartphone launch last Thursday night, Apple has responded with new marketing to remind buyers of its popular phone. when you like this kind of the (knc) md103.

Over the weekend, Apple posted a new phone 5 marketing page on its website entitled "There's iPhone. And then there's everything else." The website highlights a number of theiPhone 5's attributes, including its design, battery life and camera.

"What makes an iPhone unlike anything else? Maybe it's that it lets you do so many things," the site reads at the top. It goes on: "Or that it lets you do so many things so easily. Those are two reasons iPhone owners say they love their iPhone. But there are many others as well."

On Saturday afternoon, Apple also emailed a promotional note to its customers with a link to the page.

Apple doesn't directly mention Samsung's Galaxy S4 or Android in the web promotions, but Apple Senior Vice President of Marketing Phil Schiller did attack Android last week in two media interviews prior to Samsung's event.

"Android is often given as a free replacement for a feature phone and the experience isn't as good as an iPhone," Schiller told The Wall Street Journal. Schiller also criticized Android's fragmentation, the idea that all the different phones run different versions of the software.

"With their own data, only 16 percent of Android users are on year-old version of the operating system," he told Reuters. Most iPhones, on the other hand, run the latest version of Apple's iOS 6.0 software.

When reached, Samsung said it declines to comment on its competitors. Apple did not respond to ABC News' request for comment on the marketing.

Analysts say it's not surprising that Apple has responded through marketing, especially after the hype Samsung created around its event, which was held at Radio Music Hall in New York City.

The predecessor to the Galaxy S4, Samsung's Galaxy S3, which was released in May 2012, has become the best selling Android phone and emerged as the greatest competitor to the iPhone. As of Jan. 15 Samsung had sold 40 million of the 4.73-inch Android Galaxy S3. In comparison, Apple sold 47.8 million iPhones in just the first quarter of 2013; Apple does not break down sales based on the iPhone models.

According to research firm Strategy Analytics, the iPhone 5 was still the best-selling smartphone worldwide during the fourth quarter of 2012; Apple shipped 27.4 million phones and Samsung 15.4 million. Still, Samsung sells a host of other phones, making it the largest phone maker in the world. Additionally, all the Android phones now outnumber the number of iPhones in the world.

The numbers aside, Samsung is Apple's fiercest competitor in the smartphone market. The two companies have had it out on shelves, in the courts, and, of course, in advertising. Samsung's creative Galaxy S3 advertising campaign, which poked fun at those Apple line sitters, particularly caught the attention of phone buyers.

"There is a narrative in the media that Samsung has taken Apple's crown," Avi Greengart, research director of Consumer Devices at Current Analysis, told ABC News. "And Apple wants to provide a counter narrative to that and remind people that the iPhone has many impressive merits of its own."

Samsung's Galaxy S4 has a 5-inch, 1080p display, a 13-megapixel camera, and a quad-core processor. It also has a number of new software features, including the ability to tilt the phone to scroll and wave your hand over it to swipe through photos or webpages. There's also its S Health app, which monitors fitness activity. The phone will be released in April, the company announced last week. you will going to buy it on the china wholesale

Apple is not expected to refresh its iPhone until this summer or early fall. The company is also rumored to be working on a watch that would work with the phone.

"Typically Apple has been able to offset the enthusiasm around competitors with its own products," Greengart said. "Right now there is a lull in Apple's introduction rate, so it is focusing on showing that its current product is superior."