British stroller manufacturer Maclaren has announced a recall of 1 million umbrella strollers. The hinges on the sides of the strollers can trap children’s fingers when parents are opening or closing the umbrella. The New York Daily News reports:

All Maclaren strollers sold since 1999 are included in the recall, according to a source briefed on the recall.

“Parents should stop using these strollers right away,” the source said.

Maclaren’s statement on the recall:

“Consistent with our unwavering commitment to child safety we are providing U.S. consumers notice of a voluntary recall of all Maclaren umbrella strollers sold in the U.S. In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, we are providing free of charge to all affected consumers and retailers a kit to cover the stroller’s hinge mechanism, which poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller. The affected models include Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

Maclaren USA’s Umbrella Strollers meet all U.S. ASTM & JPMA compliance standards. These certifications guarantee our umbrella strollers meet the maximum safety standards available. The voluntary recall is to alert the operator when opening or closing the stroller of the possible risk of injury.

Safety is our first priority and through this voluntary effort we urge consumers to contact us immediately to obtain the kit which consists of hinge covers designed specifically to fit all Maclaren strollers.”

Twelve children with amputated fingertips? Sounds like it’s high time to fix that stroller.

Asheville, NY-based Fairbank Farms is recalling nearly 546,000 pounds of ground beef because of a suspected E. coli contamination. The recall affects Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The following supermarkets sold the beef, which may have had sell-by dates between September 19-28, according to the Associated Press:

-Trader Joe’s
-Shaw’s
-Giant Food Stores
-B.J.’s Wholesale
-ACME
-Ford Brothers
-Price Chopper

Good Morning America has more:

One person died and at least two people were sickened after eating ground beef in New Hampshire that was possibly contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

Ron Allen, CEO of Fairbank Farms, said in a statement on its Web site: “We’re assisting our customers in conducting this recall, and continue to urge consumers to check their freezers for ground beef products that are listed in the recall. Consumers who identify these products should return them to the point of purchase for a full refund.”

The ultimate precaution: Just throw away any ground beef in your freezer.

Nokia is suing Apple for using mobile technology patents without consent, infringing ten patents in the process. The BBC has more:

Nokia said it had not been compensated for its technology, and accused Apple of “trying to get a free ride on the back of Nokia’s innovation”. The ten alleged patent infringements involve wireless data, speech coding, security, and encryption. Apple’s shares dipped after news of the action broke.

He added that during the last two decades, Nokia had invested approximately 40bn euros (£36.2bn; $60bn) on research and development. Earlier this month, Nokia posted its first quarterly loss in a decade amid falling sales.

This sounds like a desperate move by Nokia to slow Apple or regain market share. What stopped them from suing earlier? (Update: They get more money if they stall. Thanks, commenters.)

TechCrunch reports that Google will soon launch a new music service. As of yet, they don’t have many details of what Google Music (or Google Audio?) will look like:

Google will soon launch a music service, we’ve heard from multiple sources, and the company has spent the last several weeks securing content for the launch of the service from the major music labels. One source has referred to the new service as Google Audio.

This new service will be available for at least U.S. users, our sources confirm, although it isn’t clear if it’s a download or streaming service, or both. Google already has a decent (if little used) music search engine that can be accessed by simply typing “music:” before a query (example). But songs are not available for streaming or download from those searches.

Is Google going to try to take on iTunes? And Spotify? It’s nice to see more competition in this space.

Cisco will acquire networking products company Starent for $2.9 billion. Tech consolidation fever continues. The Wall Street Journal has more:

Cisco will pay $35 a share for Starent, a Tewksbury, Mass., maker of software and gear for wireless carriers. That represents about a 21% premium over Starent’s closing stock price of $29.03 Monday on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Cisco, based in San Jose, Calif., expects the deal to close during the first half of 2010.

Upon completion of the deal, Starent is to become the Mobile Internet Technology Group within Cisco’s service-provider business. The new group is to be managed by Starent Chief Executive Ashraf Dahod.

Find a larger image at Meet the Boss.

We may be resorting to beans and rice for dinner, but Fido isn’t suffering. This Denver Post article points out that the pet food industry is solid as ever:

…spending on pets remains robust, with total sales of all pet products topping $45 billion this year, a 5 percent increase, according to the American Pet Products Association. And retail sales of pet food are up 4.5 percent in 2009 at about $18 billion. Future pet-food sales are projected to top $21 billion by 2013.

“We have so many customers who say they’d eat macaroni and cheese before they’d cut back on their dogs,” she said.

This trend towards premiumization is helping keep the pet food industry on its feet. According to this Petfood Industry article,

The only categories showing a drop in volume are mid-priced and economy dog foods and economy cat foods. Some market researchers believe there is less price elasticity in the demand for petfoods than for human food, and the industry’s latest (2008) sales figures are bearing this out.

Consumers appear to be accepting these price increases in spite of declining real disposable income and falling consumer confidence. Due to deepening anthropomorphism, pet owners are becoming even more brand loyal. Many owners hold the view that their pets can tell the difference between different products and they are therefore reluctant to switch brands in case it upsets their pets’ digestive systems.

That “deepening anthropomorphism” could actually be considered a revolution in the way Americans treat their pets, writes ABC News:

In an atomized society, the growing amount of time and money we collectively spend on pets is an indication of how much we thirst for community, leaning on animals for support once provided by other humans.

The pet food industry knows it, too:

“The pet-food industry has gotten very good at tapping into peoples’ anxieties about the quality of their own diet, and then getting them to apply that anxiety to their pets’ diets,” says (author and historian Katherine Grier). “First, of course, the industry had to convince people that the traditional way they fed pets — cooking them meat or feeding scraps — was unhealthy.”

Always, the message is the same: You’d do it for yourself — why not for the animal you love? “Things that were once considered optional are now really being considered necessities by pet owners,” (another source) says. “These companies have made the attachment between the health and well-being of your pet and their product.”

(Read more of this excellent article.)

I’d be interested to know how/whether increased computer use has affected the way we see pets, especially dogs. In any case, pet food marketers are onto something. It looks like this trend is going to last.

You’re apparently able to use your existing plan minutes for no additional charge aside from the cost of the device, or for $20 per month you get unlimited minutes for up to ten registered phones. Mind you, these are unlimited minutes while you’re within range of the MicroCell. When you’re out and about, you’re using your plan minutes.

If you have AT&T Home Phone and Internet service, though, you can get unlimited MicroCell calling for free. If you have either Home Phone or Internet (but not both), you can get it for $10 per month according to Engadget.

AT&T has already released MicroCell in Charlotte, NC.

Gizmodo’s Danny Allen thinks AT&T should give users in known dead spots the MicroCell for free. From a consumer rights perspective, I agree with him, but I don’t think AT&T will do it. The MicroCell gives them a way to put the onus of network functionality on their users–and profit off it.

Unfortunately, AT&T is entrenched enough that it can afford to dissatisfy users and still make a profit. The MicroCell benefits users–but AT&T is responsible for the problem in the first place. Because iPhone users in particular don’t have a choice in providers, AT&T can capitalize off its position, despite the fact that it created the market for its own MicroCell.

FedEx will increase shipping rates 5.9% next year to offset falling profits. The BBC reports:

Its net profit for the three months to the end of August was $181m, which was down 53% from the same period last year.

The company said that the slow economy was hurting its sales. It is to raise express shipping rates 5.9% in January. It said falling fuel prices had reduced its profitability because its fuel surcharges lag behind the price of oil.

Next year’s rate increases will fall “slightly below an average 6.9% increase that it put in place to start 2009. In both cases, FedEx noted that lower fuel surcharges likely would offset about 2% of the rate increases,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

FedEx also noted a 4% decrease in overseas priorities deliveries, “the smallest slide in four quarters, reflect(ing) returning global demand,” says Bloomberg. “Analysts consider FedEx to be an economic bellwether because it moves goods ranging from mortgage documents to auto parts to clothing.”

Hannah Montana meets Iron Man? You bet. The Walt Disney Co. today announced it is purchasing Marvel Entertainment–and its 5,000 characters–for $4bn in stock and cash. The AP has more:

Analyst David Joyce of Miller Tabak & Co. said the acquisition will help Disney appeal to young men who have flocked to theatres to see Marvel’s superhero fare in recent years. That contrasts with Disney’s recent successes among young women with such fare as “Hannah Montana” and the Jonas Brothers.

Marvel shares jumped $10.17, or 26 per cent, to $48.82 shortly after the market opened. Disney shares fell 47 cents, or 1.8 per cent, to $26.37.

For the full list of Marvel characters that are now going Disney, click here.