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PR Newswire's Business Technology Round-up, 23rd November 2012LONDON, Nov 23, 2012 (PR Newswire Europe via COMTEX) -- LONDON, November 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Pikture launches social marketplace, Black Friday online sales begin and EchoStar satellite launched Pikture.com, an innovative social site allowing users to tag and purchase their favourite items, has officially launched this week, becoming the world's first exclusive social marketplace [http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/launch-of-pickturecom---new-marketplace-with-an-integrated-social-network-180486711.html ] . Visitors to the website will be able to download a browser plug-in, enabling them to bookmark their favourite items for later viewing, as well as allowing them to organise items into various shareable wish lists that can be viewed by friends and family. Users can then like, dislike or comment on an item, whilst also being presented with the option to purchase it directly from the retailer's website. The site's innovative discovery feature keeps users up-to-date with the latest trends, by using bookmarked items to create a personal suggestion list of newly released or similar products. The add-on is free and also acts as a price comparison tool for savvy shoppers. Online sales during the annual "cyber Black Friday" are expected to top $1billion this year [http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cyber-black-friday-sales-start-on-thanksgiving-180500341.html ] , up an impressive 20% from 2011. Black Friday sales have become a lucrative business for online retailers, with some of the biggest brands offering exclusive discounts during the 24-hour sale period. More than 1,000 retailers are expected to take part in the event this year, offering sizeable savings on everything from clothing to electrical goods. A number of the world's biggest brands are set to offer major discounts on a variety of items over the next 24 hours, with Apple, Dell, Amazon and Sony all offering significant price reductions. EchoStar, a global provider of satellite broadband services, has launched its latest EchoStar XVI satellite [http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/space-systemsloral-built-satellite-for-echostar-successfully-launched-begins-post-launch-maneuvers-180544241.html ] , following a successful partnership with satellite manufacturer Space Systems/Loral. The purpose-built satellite launched from the Baikonur Space Centre in Kazakhstan, a further step in a long-term joint initiative between the two companies. The new satellite has been fully leased to the US cable DISH network, allowing EchoStar to bolster its range of available services in the United States. 72 Space Systems satellites are now in operation, with the latest model expected to remain in operation for a minimum of 15 years. According to Space Systems CEO John Celli, the state of the art EchoStar XVI will "provide a broad range of Direct-to-Home services in the United States". Follow PR Newswire on Twitter Keep up-to-date with the latest sector-specific news headlines by following PR Newswire's Twitter accounts: Consumer [http://www.twitter.com/PRNECnsmr ] Finance [http://www.twitter.com/PRNEFinance ] Manufacturing [http://www.twitter.com/PRNEMfg ] Sports [http://www.twitter.com/PRNESports ] Business [http://www.twitter.com/PRNEBiz ] Energy [http://www.twitter.com/PRNEEnergy ] Health [http://www.twitter.com/PRNEHealth ] Multi-cultural [http://www.twitter.com/PRNEMltcult ] Technology [http://www.twitter.com/PRNETech ] Business technology [http://www.twitter.com/PRNEBiztech ] Environment [http://www.twitter.com/PRNEEnv ] Media [http://www.twitter.com/PRNEMedia ] Public policy [http://www.twitter.com/PRNEPolicy ] Transport [http://www.twitter.com/PRNETrnsp ] About PR Newswire PR Newswire is the premier global provider of multimedia platforms that enable marketers, corporate communicators, sustainability officers, public affairs and investor relations officers to leverage content to engage with all their key audiences. Having pioneered the commercial news distribution industry 58 years ago, PR Newswire today provides end-to-end solutions to produce, optimize and target content - from rich media to online video to multimedia - and then distribute content and measure results across traditional, digital, mobile and social channels. Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimization network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world's enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, and is a UBM plc company. |