Jaguar sedan’s power doesn’t pounce

The 2015 Jaguar XF Sport delivers a highly refined driving experience worthy of its price.

Built to compete with the Audi A6, BMW 5 series, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class vehicles, the Jaguar XF is an excellent choice for those who want to stand out from the crowd. With an MSRP of $59,875, it could even be considered a good value as it comes packed with standard features.

This British-made sedan possesses plenty of power — enough to maintain interest, but not so much that it overwhelms. It has a responsive and peppy 340-horsepower, 3.0-liter V6 engine with acceleration that doesn't lurch or intimidate. The XF Sport's engine is in the middle of the XF lineup, which ranges from a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder to a 5.0-liter V8 engine.

The XF Sport has an intelligent all-wheel-drive system that keeps the power on the rear wheels until needed, providing sure footing even in slick road conditions. For further control in adverse weather conditions, it also has winter and dynamic modes.

Our tester had an aerodynamic exterior coated in Italian racing red metallic paint, a charcoal interior and 20-inch dark grey wheels. It comes equipped with heated leather seats and a heated steering wheel, which were both tested on a raw, cold day and proved strong enough to use instead of the climate control system. It also had a heated windshield.

Retractable air vents automatically open on ignition for a James Bond effect when using the car's push-button start. Access to the car is gained by a keyless entry system, so you only need to have the key in your pocket to open the locked doors.

Xenon headlights present clear definition even on back streets at night. Signature LED lights outline the headlights, giving this Jaguar an even more distinctive look.

The steering is impressive. Tight spots are easily navigated and parking is incredibly easy. The XF also has a blind spot monitor to alert you to oncoming vehicles in other lanes.

Like its recent Jaguar and Range Rover predecessors, the XF has "intelligent stop-start," which is annoying in that it can only be overridden on a trip-by-trip basis.

Jaguar (and Range Rover for that matter) could use a revamp of the electronics/entertainment cluster. It is a very capable 380-watt touch screen GPS/entertainment system with great sound, but it is not customizable and cannot be configured to match your preferred mode as a default.

A four-year, 50,000 mile warranty with roadside assistance matches the other vehicles in its class. The only drawback when considering a Jaguar is its reliability reputation and lower than average resale value.

In the end, the Jaguar XF Sport is a thoroughly enjoyable vehicle that boasts both style and performance.

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U.S. holiday sales merry good

U.S. holiday sales posted their strongest growth in nearly a decade, thanks to an improved economy and purchases spread over a longer season, rather than concentrated on a few key days, according to a leading research firm.

Consumer spending in November and December rose 4.6 percent over the same period the previous year, exceeding the 3.8 percent ShopperTrak had projected and marking the best performance since 2005, when sales grew 5.2 percent.

"Holiday seasons have been up each year since 2010 in small amounts, but what sets this one apart is it was enough to create profitability," said Jon B. Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, which expects to release state data next week. "Other holiday seasons' gains weren't large enough to offset increased costs."

The trend toward shopping earlier in the season continued last year, as November's sales growth outpaced December's. With a strong early push after Halloween and consistent deals throughout the month, November saw $120.2 billion in sales, a 5.4 percent increase over the same period in 2013, while December saw 
$149.9 billion, up 4 percent from the previous year, according to ShopperTrak.

With the exception of slight reversals in 2009 and 2011, when the calendar leaned more favorably toward December, the split between the two months continues to narrow — a 10-year trend that points to retailers' success in lengthening the shopping season, as well as consumers' increased willingness to shop early, the firm said.

"We saw improvement in the economy and labor market that really started to help the overall spending pace," said Michael P. Niemira, principal and chief economist at The Retail Economist. "Declining gas prices further helped discretionary spending."

Super Saturday, which falls on the weekend before Christmas, was the top sales day of the year, with an estimated $9.2 billion in sales, just edging out the $9.1 billion generated on Black Friday, according to ShopperTrak.

But the two days fell short of expectations, with Super Saturday sales gaining only .46 percent and Black Friday sales falling more than 7 percent, underscoring the declining importance of a single day or two in the season, the firm said.

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It’s a Whole new story at 
old Herald site

Whole Foods Market debuted its newest Boston store in the South End yesterday — its second largest in the region and considered a flagship for its North Atlantic division — and co-CEO Walter Robb sees room in the Hub for another of its size.

"We've seen the city evolving, so we have lots of plans," the Boston native said. "The opportunity to come in here and get 50,000 square feet — that's hard to do these days, and I do think there's another one (in the future pipeline)."

The Austin-based natural and organic food company entered Massachusetts in 1992 with its $26.2 million purchase of the former six-store, Boston-based Bread & Circus.

Its South End supermarket is in National Development's $200 million Ink Block project, the former Boston Herald headquarters site for more than half a century, and it memorializes the newspaper's history throughout its decor.

"It will be a great part of the community, but I'm also blown away by how much recognition of the Herald has been preserved," said Herald Publisher Patrick J. Purcell, a minority investor in the Ink Block project.

Newton's National Development worked for five years to bring a supermarket there, according to managing director Ted Tye.

"But no one quite got this neighborhood and what we were trying to do," Tye said. "Is it Chinatown? Is it the South End? Is it safe? There was a little risk at the time. (Whole Foods) set the tone for what we're trying to do here — nice, upscale development."

South End resident John Young was shopping at the new Whole Foods just after its opening yesterday.

"We've had a wonderful Foodie's (Urban Market in the South End), but we've been hankering for a Whole Foods," he said. "Now I don't have to get deep lines in my hands carrying heavy bags all the way from (the Symphony Whole Foods)."

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Markey: Honda fines a ‘warning’

Reforms are "urgently needed" to prevent more auto deaths, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey said yesterday after Honda was hit with a record $70 million in fines for not reporting to regulators 1,729 complaints that its vehicles caused deaths and injuries.

"This fine is a warning signal to all auto companies that they should take their safety reporting system into the shop for a tune-up," the Massachusetts Democrat said in a statement. "Reforms are still urgently needed to hold car companies accountable and provide more information to the public so they can be protected from fatal vehicle defects."

The two $35 million fines issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was the largest civil penalty ever levied against an automaker. But Markey said NHTSA's $35 million maximum fine should be raised, "so that multi-billion dollar corporations don't get away with the equivalent of a fiscal slap on the wrist when they hide or miss important safety information."

The Honda complaints were related to air bag and other defective parts. Honda blamed its omissions on "errors related to data entry, computer coding, regulatory interpretation, and other errors in warranty and property damage claims reporting."

Markey, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said NHTSA needs to improve its Early Warning Reporting system, which requires auto makers to report deaths, injuries and warranty claims by making the information publicly available in a searchable format so consumers and safety experts can evaluate potential safety defects themselves.

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Report: Natural gas prices to spike in Mass.

Bay Staters will be paying "spiking" prices for natural gas for the next four years thanks to insufficient supply, according to a new report released by the state.

"From 2015 through 2019, electric generators have insufficient supply of natural gas, which results in spiking natural gas prices," according to the forecast, prepared by Synapse Energy Economics for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs says.

Earlier this year, Nstar and National Grid filed for supply rate increases of 29 percent and 37 percent, citing increasing demand.

The rate increases will mean long, cold winters for low-income residents, said John Drew, president and chief executive of Boston-based advocacy organization ABCD.

"If this stays the way it is, more and more people who are poor are going to have a much more
difficult time getting by," Drew said. "Basic commodities are increasing in price but their incomes are stagnant."

The bleak forecast drives home the need for a swifter transition away from fossil fuels, said the state energy department said.

"This study demonstrates the need to continue investing in energy efficiency and pursuing clean, base load power, like large hydro and wind, to ensure affordability and reliability for Massachusetts ratepayers," EEA spokeswoman Mary-Leah Assad said.

Between 2020 and 2030, Synapse forecasts, the burden will be eased by increasing efficiency in buildings and appliances and a surge in wind power and biomass power production.

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Harvard, Brigham partner up on Ebola drug

A Canadian pharmaceutical company is partnering with Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital to develop an oral drug that blocks the Ebola virus and could be tested on humans as early as this year, according to researchers and the company's president.

"Even if this current epidemic passes, Ebola has been back and forth over the past 40 or so years now," said John Huss, president and CEO of H&P Labs Inc. "It's not something that's always there, but it comes and goes. We weren't ready for this outbreak, but we could be ready for the next outbreak."

H&P Labs announced a licensing agreement with Harvard and Brigham and Women's for two compounds that prevent both the contraction of the Ebola virus and its spread within the body, according to Dr. James Cunningham, a physician at Brigham and Women's and lead researcher on the project.

"The current evidence suggests that the Ebola infection pathway is a complex, multistep process, and our lab has developed compounds that interfere with a couple of those steps," Cunningham said.

One of the compounds, he said, prevents the initial entry of the virus into cells, while the other prevents the transport of the virus.

The research was conducted by Cunningham and collaborators at the Cunningham lab at Brigham and Women's and at Harvard Medical School's New England Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, and Centers of Excellence for Translational Research. According to Cunningham, the research has been progressing for about 10 years.

Huss said H&P Labs will use the findings to develop an oral treatment against the virus and will begin testing on animals during the second quarter of this year.

"If everything pans out as we expect it to, then we bring it into humans late 2015, early 2016," he said.

The announcement of the licensing agreement comes as researchers and pharmaceutical companies work overtime to find a marketable way to battle the deadly Ebola outbreak, which has claimed more than 8,000 lives, mostly in West Africa.

Also yesterday, the World Health Organization announced that the final-stage trials of several experimental vaccines will begin this month or next. About 90 experts met at WHO headquarters to discuss plans for clinical trials in Liberia, 
Sierra Leone and Guinea.

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Charlie Baker thinks outside box with Pine St.

A business started­ by New England's largest homeless shelter has grown into a thriving enterprise that's even catering some of Gov.-elect Charlie Baker's inaugural events.

Based at Boston's Pine Street Inn, iCater is pro­viding boxed lunches for student volunteers at today's inauguration and cookies at tonight's festivities at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

"We were thrilled when we found out we were catering the inauguration," executive chef Frank van Overbeeke said. "It's quite eye-opening for the shelter guests we train."

Started in 2000 under the name Abundant Table, the business prepared meals for nonprofits before changing its name and branching out into corporate catering in 2011. Since then, iCater has built a growing roster of clients, including Boston Medical Center, Tufts University and the Boston Foundation.

"The food is always fresh, the people are polite, and it's good value for your money," said Linda Brown, resident services coordinator for Morville House, which provides subsidized housing for low-income seniors in Boston. "Plus, it's convenient."

Under van Overbeeke's supervision, iCater's team of four cooks, 25 trainees and five kitchen helpers prepare more than 3,500 meals daily, grossing $1 million a year, which goes to the Pine Street Inn's Food Services Training Program.

"I've learned so much — how to prepare different foods, how to work together," said Tishka Alston, 45, who graduated from the program last fall.

Since 2000, iCater has trained 725 shelter residents, and graduates have gone on to jobs at eateries including Myers and Chang, Legal Seafoods and Flour Bakery.

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Hingham beach outpost on Sullivan’s menu

Sullivan's, a landmark South Boston food stand that's been selling hot dogs and other fare on Castle Island since 1951, is exploring a Hingham outpost.

Hingham Bathing Beach trustees are in talks with the third generation of Sullivan's operators to open a seasonal concession offering the same food and affordable prices as in Southie.

"That's something we've prided ourselves on since my grandfather opened in 1951 — to provide quality food at reasonable prices," Brendan Sullivan said.

It would be Sullivan's first expansion. "We always thought about it the last few years, but never made any moves until this opportunity arose," Sullivan said. "It's a very similar situation from what we have now and what the trustees would like, so I think we are a perfect match for them."

For the trustees, it's an opportunity to give beach-goers regular access to rest­rooms not provided by the current bathhouse, open from July to Labor Day for three or four hours around high tide, trustee Alan Perrault said. "The concessionaire is responsible for keeping them open during the hours it's open, so we'll get that coverage," he said.

Sullivan's at Hingham Bathing Beach would be smaller than the Castle Island stand, where throngs of people line up for half-price dogs on opening weekend, usually the last weekend in February. It would operate on the same timetable, weather permitting, through the last weekend of November.

The next step is negotiating a lease and permitting.

"We're at the very beginning stages," Sullivan said. "I would love to have it open by the end of next summer, but that might be pushing it."

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Boston rolls dice on suit

Boston appears poised to turn back millions of dollars it is due from Wynn Resorts because it has sued the state Gaming Commission challenging the validity of the license issued to the Las Vegas gaming giant's planned casino in neighboring Everett.

Wynn attempted to deliver a check to Boston for $1 million, an up-front payment due this month as a condition of its license, but it was rejected by the city's corporation counsel, Eugene O'Flaherty.

"Pursuant to the content of the complaint filed by the City of Boston and the disagreement over the lawful issuance of the license award you reference, we will not accept the check," O'Flaherty wrote Monday night in an email obtained by the Herald to Wynn lawyer Jacqui Krum, who'd written O'Flaherty asking how the money should be delivered.

The denial raises the question of whether the city will also reject other money intended to lessen the impact of the planned casino, including a piece of a $17.5 million fund for communities that, like Boston, aren't deemed casino host or surrounding communities. Wynn paid $7.5 million into the fund, which Boston expressed interest in pursuing in November. Applications for the money are due Feb. 1.

Asked if the city plans to turn down other money owed by Wynn, Bonnie McGilpin, spokeswoman for Mayor Martin J. Walsh, said the city "is now engaged in litigation and therefore cannot comment on specifics related to the lawsuit."

"Mayor Walsh is taking­ this action to protect the city and the neighborhood of Charlestown," she said. "Every remedy was exhausted to date and now this matter is in the hands of the litigators seeking to present this case in court on behalf of the city."

Wynn's $1 million payment was technically made to an escrow fund controlled by the Gaming Commission for dispersal, but Boston is declining to collect it. Spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said the commission isn't sure how long it will hold on to the funds.

"At this point, we will hold that in escrow until they are ready to claim it," Driscoll said.

The conditions on Wynn's license say the $1 million up-front payment was to cover additional public safety resources to handle increased traffic, facilitate water transportation to the casino and support community programs in bordering Charlestown.

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Startup taking off with tiny propulsion systems

A MIT-born startup has raised $2 million in seed funding for product development and initial sales of its propulsion system for small orbiting satellites that's the size of a pack of gum.

"It's a type of in-flight propulsion system for satellites that can enable things like orbit transfers," said Natalya Brikner, chief executive and co-founder of Accion Systems. "You can use it to accurately point cameras. The smallest complete system we have built is about the size of a pack of gum."

The MAX-1 system uses electric propulsion with charged particles to control small satellites under 220 pounds. Those satellites, Brikner said, are exploding in popularity, but most do not have propulsion systems.

Based in Somerville, Accion Systems will use the money to add more employees — it only has three right now — and begin taking pre-orders. Accion will also use the money to literally launch its product.

"We are going to be launching our first product into space," Brikner said.

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Everett mayor waves off Boston suit

Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria insisted yesterday that Boston's lawsuit to repeal the Wynn resorts casino license is a retread of settled legal questions, and contains what he called a questionable claim to the road that leads to the future casino site.

"I think we've passed the hurdle of the host and surrounding community, that's already been adjudicated. I really was hoping that we could all work collaboratively," DeMaria said at a press conference that was called yesterday to celebrate Wynn's $35 million purchase of the 33-acre Everett site. Because the state Gaming Commission has already decided Boston is not a host community to the casino, DeMaria said, Boston doesn't get to vote on whether it's built, as Mayor Martin J. Walsh has demanded.

The Gaming Commission deemed Boston is not a host to the $1.6 billion casino on the Charlestown border, and later stripped the city of its status as a surrounding community after Walsh and Wynn failed to reach a deal.

A lynchpin of Walsh's claims, contained in a lawsuit filed Monday, is that the Everett site's access road, Horizon Way, is partly in Boston. DeMaria disputed Boston's claim, saying Everett has responsibility for the street, and at one point even renamed it from Chemical Lane without consulting Boston.

"For as long as I've been mayor and been on the City Council and a resident of Everett, Horizon Way ... was plowed by the city of Everett, was salted by the city of Everett, shoveled, cleaned by the city of Everett," DeMaria said.

A Walsh spokeswoman declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.

DeMaria welcomed Wynn as official Everett landowners yesterday at Everett City Hall, presenting Wynn Everett President Robert DeSalvio with a residential city trash can as a tongue-in-cheek house-warming gift.

"With this land transaction and our arrival into the city of Everett, nothing gets in our way in terms of bringing this project to fruition," DeSalvio said.

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Health Connector to feel disconnect

The impending departure of Health Connector Executive Director Jean Yang signals a coming tidal wave of change — but one that could face strong resistance from a board still filled with members hand-picked by Gov. Deval Patrick — once Republican Charlie Baker is sworn in as the state's chief executive, an expert said.

"It shows the change in philosophy at the connector and desire to go in a different direction, no question," said Joshua Archambault, a health care expert at the Pioneer Institute. "I suspect if the board membership doesn't change, there will be a lot of disagreement in board participation at the meetings about the different directions laid out."

A new leadership team at the connector could create fireworks at the usually tame board meetings and set up a showdown between Baker's new connector staffers and board members appointed by both Patrick and outgoing Attorney General Martha Coakley.

"They all hold different ideological positions and will not be shy about voicing them," said Archambault of the holdover board members. "The question is whether new staff and leadership at the connector can build the case for change."

Baker's Secretary of Administration & Finance Kristen Lepore will automatically serve as chairwoman of the 11-member connector board and Baker will get to select a few other ex-officio members.

But his first crack at replacing any of Patrick's picks won't come until July 1, when MIT professor Jonathan Gruber's term expires. Baker has called Gruber's controversial Obamacare comments, which landed him before a congressional committee that grilled him last month, "stupid and inappropriate."

Gruber declined to comment to the Herald yesterday about his or other board members' futures.

The rest of Baker's picks won't come until 2016 and 2017.

The incoming Baker administration has not said who it will name to replace Yang.

"I think the next director of the connector obviously needs to regain the public confidence that the connector works and is effective," said incoming Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders.

State Obamacare czar Maydad Cohen, who is staying on temporarily, said the Baker administration plans to find Yang's permanent replacement around Feb. 15, when open enrollment for Obamacare ends, then determine the connector's future staffing.

Yang announced yesterday she is stepping down after two years as head of the troubled Massachusetts Health Connector. She oversaw both the disastrous rollout of the state's failed Obamacare website last year and the costly rebuilding of the new portal.

Yang, who said she has no position lined up when she leaves Jan. 16, indicated the Baker administration also wanted her to depart.

"I would say that there was definitely some mutual expectation from all parties," said Yang. "It was a fairly straightforward discussion that we rapidly got to agreement."

Lindsay Kalter contributed to this story.

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Mercedes-Benz debuts concept driverless car of future at CES

LAS VEGAS — The car of the future according to Mercedes-Benz is one that drives itself, has seats inside that swivel to face each other and features a computerized brain that can watch a pedestrian walk by and even offer a digital projection of a crosswalk to help the person cross the road.

The carmaker unveiled the sleek concept car that it is calling F 015 Monday night at the International CES showcase for consumer electronics.

Mercedes-Benz turned a stage inside The Cosmopolitan on the Strip in Las Vegas into a scene usually reserved for annual car shows attracting a swell of photographers on stage afterward.

The company's leader Dieter Zetsche says there are still questions about driverless cars that require answers but the time is right to think about the car of the future.

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Hyundai Motor to spend $74B over 4 years on facilities, R&D

SEOUL, South Korea — Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest automaker, said Tuesday it plans to spend 81 trillion won ($73.7 billion) over the next four years on factories, research and a new headquarters.

The announcement comes after Hyundai Motor Co. last week forecast the slowest annual sales growth in more than a decade. The South Korean government has pressured businesses to stop hoarding cash reserves and instead invest and hire more.

Hyundai said the average annual spending during the four years is a 35 percent increase from 2014.

The company plans to build two new factories in China, which will start operating in late 2016 and 2017 as its existing factories reach full capacity. Its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. is also expanding the capacity of its existing Chinese factory.

The group will also build new headquarters including auto-themed exhibition halls, hotels and shopping malls in Gangnam, a trendy district in southwestern Seoul. It said in September that it would pay $10.1 billion for a 79,342 square meter (854,030 square foot) plot of land for the new headquarters that the auto group believes will burnish its brand.

The expansion of factories at home and abroad and the construction of the new headquarters in Seoul will account for more than half of the four-year investment at 49.1 trillion won.

The group will spend 31.6 trillion won on research and development for low emission vehicles, smart cars and other technologies. By 2018, its affiliated companies will hire 7,345 employees in R&D including about 3,000 workers to develop low emission and smart car technologies.

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TV makers design for streaming video to stay relevant

LAS VEGAS — Does anyone just watch TV anymore? The dramatic shift toward online and mobile viewing is driving television set makers to design as much for streaming video as for watching broadcast or cable channels.

Traditional TV is far from dead, but these days viewers care less about watching shows live and even prefer saving certain series to watch all at once in an evening or weekend of binge-watching. Broadcast networks and hundreds of cable channels share viewer attention with thousands of online services, including amateurs creating their own series on YouTube. Already, Netflix has outbid traditional channels for hits such as "House of Cards." And Dish this week announced it will sell online access to a bundle of channels including live sports network ESPN for just $20 a month. Online video will account for a third of all video viewing in 2020, up from about 10 percent in 2013, predicts The Diffusion Group, a research firm that specializes in Internet video.

So how to keep the television set, that focal point of the American living room for decades, relevant? Design for online video.

At the International CES gadget show this week in Las Vegas, TV makers unveiled new models with 4K resolution, or four times the clarity offered by today's high definition TVs. They are pushing the features even though not a single TV channel is yet available in 4K. But Internet services such as Netflix, Amazon and M-Go are starting to offer 4K video.

Sony on Monday promised to create more 4K content to watch on those sets. Four popular shows from its entertainment division — "The Goldbergs," ''The Blacklist," ''Masters of Sex" and "The Night Shift" — will soon be available in 4K and it's working with partners including Netflix and YouTube to deliver more 4K streaming video.

"It's going to be the first format primarily driven by streaming," says Jim Funk, a senior vice president at Roku Inc., which makes streaming TV devices.

Beyond 4K, Sharp developed an engineering trick to make its high-end set look even sharper. Samsung added a nanocrystal semiconductor layer to make colors purer and the screen brighter. LG is pushing organic LED screens with richer colors and pure black — the kind typically limited to smaller displays such as phones because of price.

And Internet connectivity is becoming standard in sets, the way all TVs are color now. LG and Samsung also have ways to easily switch video between TV and mobile devices, so that if you're watching a movie on a phone, you can continue it on your TV as soon as you get home.

The Consumer Electronics Association expects TV sales to increase 2 percent to 251 million units this year. The average screen size is projected to be 40 inches, up from 31 inches in 2007. CEA predicts more than 23 million of the units will be 4K TVs this year, about 2.5 times the shipments in 2014. That's even with the explosion of viewing on tablets and smartphones.

People tend to use phones and tablets while traveling or for shorter video, says Tim Alessi, head of new product development for home entertainment at LG Electronics USA. For a full-length movie, viewers want to replicate the theater in the home. That's only done through a big TV set.

"When I want a full home-entertainment experience, especially with my family and friends, the TV is still the best way to do that," agrees Tim Baxter, president and chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics America.

And just as TV makers are hopping on the online train, so are content providers. Traditional channels are becoming available without the need for a cable or satellite subscription. Satellite TV provider Dish Network Corp. is the latest, offering its Sling TV package of channels, including ESPN and CNN, for delivery entirely over the Internet. The availability of ESPN addresses a major reason people still keep their TV service — live sports. Sony also has an Internet television service expected to debut by the end of March — PlayStation Vue — and HBO and Showtime plan to debut Internet-only subscription offerings this year. The packages are aimed at the millions of so-called cord-cutters or "cord-nevers" that find cable and satellite bundles too pricey and don't subscribe to either, turning instead to Hulu, Google's YouTube and Amazon.

Lesley H. Stahl, 31, is one potential customer of an Internet-only offering. She and her husband never considered cable when they bought a new house in Sunnyvale, California, figuring they had been mostly watching video online anyway. But Stahl says she would be cautious about subscribing to new channels, as she's used to just waiting until Hulu or Amazon gets the show. She said costs for individual subscriptions add up, and there's only so much time to watch.

"There's not any one TV show I'm so addicted to that I'm going to pay extra," she says. "At a certain point, we're just spending a whole lot of money."

These Internet offerings alone won't accelerate cancellations of cable or satellite services, says Joel Espelien, senior analyst for The Diffusion Group. But they might get more people to downgrade to lower tiers, he says, and use the savings to buy specific channels or services of interest.

Or a brand-new 4K TV?

___

AP Technology Writer Brandon Bailey contributed to this report.

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I kid you not, LG’s GizmoPal a good idea

GizmoPal by LG ($79.99 with a two-year Verizon contract)

One of the first wearable devices for children, this small wristband can make and receive calls with just one button. Available in pink or blue, GizmoPal works with an accompanying app that allows parents and caregivers to locate the child wearing the device on a map.

The good: It's rare to be blown away by a new device that is well-executed and seamless to use, but that's what this is. Although it's specified for ages 4 and up, my 3 year-old tested it out and loves it. I feel safer knowing I can find his precise location when he's with a babysitter or a family member.

The bad: Nothing to see here!

The bottom line: Why get your child a smartphone if you can avoid it? GizmoPal is a great answer to that phone dilemma faced by so many parents today.

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Booting Up: Zipcar to tap home base

For a company founded right in our backyard, Zipcar has been surprisingly absent from spheres of Boston influence. But that may soon change.

Founded in Cambridge and now located in the Innovation District, the car-sharing pioneer is looking to raise its profile as an iconic Boston success story that rivals the likes of companies such as Hubspot, WayFair and even those famous community pillars, Liberty Mutual and State Street.

"We're part of Boston's vibrant innovation economy, but as Bostonians, we're relatively humble," said Brian Harrington, Zipcar's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "Many people are surprised to learn the sharing economy was born here and continues to call 
Boston home."

In the last year — and even amid a global expansion — Zipcar made a point to invest in a sort of local expansion, focusing on areas such as Mattapan and Roslindale. It also made a key local hire, tapping a top city hall cabinet member and Dorchester native, Justin Holmes, to run its corporate communications operation.

If you live in a Boston neighborhood, chances are that in the last year, you've seen a Zipcar or two pop up nearby, especially at MBTA stations. Zipcar added 41 cars to T stations in 2014, bringing the total to 80. In the past six months, Zipcar doubled the number of cars in Dorchester and launched two new spaces in Mattapan. Following a successful streak there, the company is now looking for additional opportunities nearby, hoping to land spots at visible, less traditional locations such as churches and community centers. A dozen new Zipcars also popped up last year in Roslindale, where there had been previously just one.

Two years after being acquired by Avis, Zipcar's corporate story is unfolding as a sort of model of brand preservation, in which the younger company has been encouraged to stay true to its geographic and demographic roots.

Besides the renewed focus on local ties, the best evidence of Avis seeing the value in Zipcar's autonomy is about to hit airwaves today — in the form of a new marketing campaign, a collaboration between Zipcar and the state of Vermont.

The campaign features a series of fun, tongue-in-cheek online ads titled, "I'd Tap That," using innuendo to showcase the simplicity of the tap-enabled unlocking mechanism on its fleet of cars. It's quintessentially Zipcar; undoubtedly not Avis. The campaign also harnesses a hallmark of millennial humor, the faux newscast, enlisting Vermont's top forestry official to insist that the state's maple sugar-makers "tap it" better than anyone. You can cast your vote at zipcar.com/WhoTapsItBest.

"We've been a disruptor without acting disruptive," said Harrington. "We're fun, witty and take risks."

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Hedge fund founder, 70, slain in NYC apartment

NEW YORK — A 70-year-old hedge fund founder has been shot dead in his New York apartment.

Police say Thomas Gilbert was shot in the head in his Manhattan apartment on Beekman Place on the East Side. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police are seeking the gunman.

Gilbert founded Wainscott Capital Partners Fund in 2011. The fund has $200 million in assets and focuses on the biotech and health care industries.

Gilbert previously co-founded Syzygy Therapeutics, a biotech asset acquisition fund.

The shooting was a rare act of violence on Beekman Place, a tony enclave just north of the United Nations.

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Federal tax filers must show healthinsurance status for first time

Tax season is here, and the federal Affordable Care Act mandating minimum health insurance coverage nationwide brings with it what's labeled as the biggest group of changes to the U.S. tax code in 20 years.

Massachusetts filers used to dealing with the state's mandated health-care coverage requirement on their state income taxes since the 2007 tax year now must address their insurance status on their federal income tax returns for the first time.

"What's most important is to be aware if your taxes are impacted," said Nancy Lebeau, master tax adviser and an enrolled agent for H&R Block in North Andover. "There are so many moving parts to the Affordable Care Act that H&R Block started preparing in 2010 and training all of its tax professionals."

The impacts on individuals' federal income tax returns depend on whether they have health insurance and when they obtained it, and if they purchased it through the state insurance marketplace known as the
Massachusetts Health Connector.

Individuals with private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid should see no impact and simply have to check a box on their federal tax returns.

Those who don't have insurance may be subject to a penalty on their federal income taxes just as they are on their state returns.

But there are more than 30 exemptions that could help, including exemptions if you're uninsured for less than three months of the year, for households whose income level is below the minimum filing amount or for non-U.S. citizens without valid immigration documentation.

The federal penalty — called a "shared responsibility payment" — is the higher of either a flat-fee $95 for each adult and $47.50 per child under 18 up to $285 per household or 1 percent of your annual household income, less the minimum filing amount. The penalties increase significantly for the 2015 and 2016 tax years.

Individuals who face both the federal penalty on their federal tax returns and a Massachusetts penalty on their state returns will see the latter reduced.

For individuals who purchased insurance through the health insurance marketplace, their tax liabilities/benefits also will depend on whether they qualified for an advance premium tax credit — government assistance to lower their monthly health insurance premiums — and if their estimated household income at the time held through for the year.

Those who did receive tax credits will receive a 1095-A tax form from the marketplace indicating the amount.

Filers may forget about the tax credits because they didn't directly receive them, as they were instead paid right to their insurance providers, according to Lebeau.

"In some cases, people may break even — they got the proper amount based on what they estimated (for household income)," Lebeau said. "Others may have estimated incorrectly or there could have been a job change or income change the rest of the year, and they may have gotten too much of a credit … and they may have to pay it back. It's taken from the tax refund."

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Foundation sends posses of Hub students to college

For 60 Boston students, the road to college just got a little easier.

Chosen by the Posse Foundation, these urban public school students are set to receive a full four-year scholarship, as well as a support system freshmen rarely get.

"I almost literally cried — like shed a tear," said Delano McFarlane, one of this year's scholars from New Mission High School in Hyde Park. "I never expected this."

Founded in New York City in 1989 after a student said, "I never would have dropped out of college if I had my posse with me," the organization sends groups of 10 students, who might be overlooked during the traditional application process, to partner schools across the country. This year's Boston scholars will go to Bucknell University, Centre College, Denison University, Bryn Mawr College, Union College and Hamilton College.

"I hope to meet other people that could be like me," said McFarlane, who heads to Union College this fall. "I have friends here who definitely helped me get through four years of high school and having this group of people around me at college will remind me of home and remind me of where I came from."

Majoring in sociology, McFarlane hopes to go into law enforcement after gradation and become a homicide detective.

"The idea that you can send a team or a group together to college — it just made sense," said Debbie Bial, founder of the Posse Foundation. "It means they are less likely to turn around and come home."

After taking nominations from public schools throughout Boston, potential scholars go through a vigorous group and individual interview process where they're asked to do things like build a robot out of Legos, or lead a discussion on genetic testing.

"Historically, schools have a very traditional way of identifying how they're going to admit students," said Bial. "But there is an incredibly talented pool of young people who wouldn't show up on their radar screen because they didn't go to a high school ranked high enough or didn't get the right test scores."

With more than 6,000 scholars placed, and a 90 percent graduation rate, Posse hopes to highlight these students.

"The big vision is to develop a national leadership network in the U.S. that represents the diversity of the country," said Bial, who's connected Posse Scholars to internships and post-college jobs at well-known companies such as Viacom, Goldman Sachs and Disney.

Celebrating its 15th year in the Hub, Bial says Boston was the first city where Posse replicated its program. It has since grown to 10 cities across the country. "Menino and Deval were big supporters," she said of the late Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Gov. Deval Patrick. "They believed in the power of these young people and their love and support really helped us grow in Boston."

Over the next eight months, the Posse members will participate in two-hour weekly training sessions with their peers, focusing on skills to help them succeed in college and beyond. On Jan. 8, the Boston scholars get official recognition in a ceremony at 7 p.m. at the Fairmont Copley Plaza.

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U.S. home growth slows for 11th consecutive month

WASHINGTON — U.S. home prices rose in October at a slightly slower pace, as real estate sales have fallen and affordability has increasingly become a challenge for potential buyers.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index increased 
4.5 percent in October from 12 months prior.

The figures mark the eleventh straight month of price gains decelerating and the smallest gain since October 2012.

The slowdown in price growth comes after surging double-digit increases for much of 2013. Home values climbed as the market recovered from bottoming out in 2011 in the aftermath of the housing bust and the Great Recession. But home prices have outpaced lackluster wage growth, leaving many potential buyers unable to afford homes and causing both sales and price growth to stall this year.

The recent decline in mortgage rates has yet to bring more buyers into the market. Simultaneously, there are fewer distressed properties and bargains coming onto the market that attract investors as buyers.

All of that has occurred despite an improving U.S. economy that has generated 2.65 million new jobs so far this year, as the unemployment rate has dropped to 5.8 percent from 6.7 percent at the start of 2014.

Prices barely budged over the past 12 months in Cleveland (up 
0.9 percent), Chicago (1.9 percent), New York (2 percent), Phoenix 
(2.1 percent) and Washington, D.C. (2.2 percent).

Still, there are signs that broader improvements in the U.S. economy may be causing prices to rise faster in some cities.

Compared to September, eight cities reported stronger year-over-year prices growth in October.

This includes San Francisco (up 9.1 percent), Denver (7.2 percent) and Tampa (6.1 percent).

"We are seeing hints that prices could end 2014 on a strong note and accelerate into 2015," said David Blitzer, managing director and chairman of the index committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices.

The Case-Shiller index covers roughly half of U.S. homes. The index measures prices compared with those in January 2000 and creates a three-month moving average. The October figures are the latest available.

Other housing reports confirm a broader slowdown.

The National Association of Realtors estimate that 2014 sales will end up below 2013 levels.

The trade group forecasts that 4.94 million existing homes will be sold this year, down 3 percent from 5.09 million in 2013.

Analysts say sales of roughly 5.5 million existing homes are common in a healthy real estate market.

The Commerce Department said last week that new home sales slid 1.6 in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 438,000. That remains significantly below the annual rate of 700,000 seen during the 1990s.

The real estate brokerage Redfin reported Monday that its market tracker found that home sales plummeted 5 percent in November compared to 12 months earlier.

Nearly a third of the buyers surveyed by Redfin said that their biggest obstacle to purchasing a home was affordability.

Stan Humphries, chief economist at the real estate data firm Zillow, noted that slower price growth should ultimately be helpful for the economy. When prices rise at levels closer to wages, more people are usually able to buy a home.

"A slower-moving housing market is inherently more stable, more balanced between buyers and sellers and more sustainable over the long-term," Humphries said.

Buying could be helped by average 30-year mortgage rates staying closed to a 19-month low.

Rates nationwide averaged 3.83 percent last week, according to the mortgage company Freddie Mac.

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