BrainBackup.net - Tap My Brain

Google's Chrome TV Ad Campaign Strategy Hidden In Plain Sight

Tue, 12 May 2009 19:27:20 -0400

Google's first Television ad campaign generated quite a bit of chatter this last week. Unfortunately coverage of this campaign by the big blogs completely missed the mark. The announcement of the Chrome TV ads on Google's Official Blog details the reasons for the campaign, but was anyone paying attention?

Click here to find out what the hell Google is up too...

These posts are not just a place for me to run my mouth, my goal is for these posts to be a catalyst for conversation. If I have stimulated some thoughts/ideas please contribute to the conversation here.

FunnyTivoFace

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:24:29 -0400

FunnyTivoFace is my first biz up for grabs. Unlike some of my upcoming posts, this site is already up, running and packed with content. The last posts were in October of '08 during the Presidential Debates. They got some pretty good traffic, but I didn't have the time, energy or passion to keep it going. If you do, let me know.

The Pitch
Ever paused your TV and instantly burst out into laughter over the ridiculous face you caught someone making? FunnyTivoFace.com captures these surprise moments and posts them for the world to see. FunnyTivoFace(FTF) capitalizes off a model proven by the People Magazines and Perez Hiltons of the world; people love to see celebrities look stupid.

The Content
With television lineups constantly changing and new celebrity starlets popping up every month, there is an endless amount of content for this site to live and thrive on forever. The content for the posts is really easy to generate. 1) Download shows on your computer and take screenshots (that's what I did, gets the best quality) or snap a picture of your TV. 2) Post the picture with a simple description. The site automatically inserts the photo into a TV and generates the ads. There is a huge opportunity to crowdsource the content generation if you can get people on board.

The Fans
The best part about this model is the enormous potential fan base! Shows like American Idol have over 30 million viewers all tuning in waiting to see a contestant fall on their face or do something stupid. By networking through other blogs and marketing in fan forums I can't imagine this site not being successful. Fans can subscribe via rss, email or add to iGoogle.

Making Money
Making $$ off impressions and banner clicks is tough business but, but there is also an opportunity for massive distribution. FTF could potentially be the next Getty Images of celebrity stupidness. Blogs and media companies are always looking for images such as these to post with their articles.

The Deal
So I am looking for someone to take over FTF and build it out right. This person should not only have experience in blogging, but media connections couldn't hurt. Prove to me that you have what it takes, and we will work something out.

Free Me From My Killer Ideas

Free Me From My Killer Ideas

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:23:46 -0400

All my life I have been cursed with the passion and determination to turn every crazy idea I come up with into a thriving business. While most people may consider this a gift, they have never run 6,245 businesses simultaneously with $0 and 1 employee (me) while going to school full time. As my college journey comes to an end, I find myself with a KILLER idea and finally in a position to pursue my dream of starting a "true" business.

In order to commit to my new business 110% I need let go of a few fun ideas I have been tinkering with over the years. I also need an outlet for giving away any new ideas before I accidentally start executing on them. I'm going to start posting my crazy business ideas here on my blog in hopes that someone, somewhere will take the idea and run with it.

For the record, I got this idea from GaryVee when he gave away his ideafor a web based live streaming QVC network. This video also spawned one of Gary's all time greatest quotes "When you make a billi, make sure you throw me a couple hundred milli". Sounds like a fair deal =)

Replicating The Google Maps iPhone App

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:21:07 -0500

I know its ambitious task to take this on as my first Google Maps API Project, but what the hell. If you can help me get this working, you can use it for yourself. Hows that for incentive? =)

iPhone Safari Dev Stuff

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:01:26 -0500

So I have been doing a lot of web dev, particularly for an iPhone project I am working on and wanted to share some of the things I stumbled upon. I usually don't write posts like this, but since The Googster made some of this info overly complicated to find I thought: Why Not? Some of this stuff might make you say "Duh!" while others might make you say "Ahh. Interesting...". So anyway here we go...

How I Almo$t Tricked Google Into Making Me Millions

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:13:23 -0500

Ever wonder how Mozilla stays in business? First, Mozilla makes Google the default search engine on FireFox (I'm sure some mula comes from that alone). Second, every time you use that search box and proceed to click an Adsense ad, Google shares the revenue with Mozilla.
You can even watch them track it. Go to Google.com and search from the web page, the search url looks like this:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Greg+Gerber&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

If you use the search-box built into FireFox the resulting url looks like this:
http://www.google.com/search?q=Greg+Gerber&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

See the difference? In 2006, that relationship earned Mozilla $57 million, or 85% of the company’s total revenue. That's right... $57,000,000 dollarsss worth of clicks in one year! When I found that out, I wanted in. Who wouldn't right?
Read The Full Article & Leave A Comment...

Twitter Turned My Blog Into A Ghost Town

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:33:27 -0400

As you may (or may not) have noticed I havn't been posting much at brainbackup.net lately. But don't mistake my lack of posts for having little to talk about or laziness. No I blame it all on twitter. Every big thought and small action I have taken over the last few months has poured out of me in the form of mini sub 140 character posts on twitter. And my blog isn't the only tech that misses me... I am sending less email, using less instant messaging, making less phone calls and sending almost zero text messages. How has this tiny service that hardly anyone knows about replacing almost all of my other forms of communication?

Writing a blog post or email is time consuming. Sure I love to back up my thoughts in their full entirety on the blog, but is it really necessary? Lately I find myself condensing thoughts, projects and ideas I have been working on for days, weeks or even months into short 140 character twits.

I could go on all day about the various reasons you should be using twitter but I will just leave it at this:

Twitter makes sharing and communicating dead simple. (and thats only 52 characters)

Convincing people that twitter is actually useful and makes life easier is a hard sell. To most, it seems like another time consuming activity to throw into the mix. Try explaining it like this: Imagine meeting a ton of new people and never sending a text message, updating your facebook status or emailing someone a link ever again. That usually does the trick. They will figure out the million other uses for twitter on their own once they give it a shot

So if you want to know what I have been up to for the last few months just hop over to my twitter profile. I am going to try posting more detailed thoughts, projects and ideas on the blog again, but no guarantees. Either way you can follow both by just following me on twitter.

Dont even bother commenting on this article. Just reply to the twit of this article that was automatically posted to twitter via twitterfeed.

Apple's Amazing Marketing Skillz

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:18:32 -0400

Of course we all know that Apple has mad marketing skills. But this one blew it out of the water. I took a screen capture of the nytimes.com site because im not sure how long this campaign will be on the homepage. Sorry about the quality, but now we can watch it will last forever. Click here to watch the ad.

Money As Debt Video Series

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:14:09 -0400

Trying to explain the current problems facing the financial system is very complicated. If you know someone who is trying to figure it out, send them these videos. This is the only way I have ever been able to understand it. Click HERE to watch the videos.

Oh Nokia!

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:29:15 -0400

I consider myself pretty knowledgeable when it comes to emerging trends in tech. One of my favorite stories right now revolves around the smartphone market and the battle for mobile operating system dominance. The companies in this space are extremely experienced and know how to capitalize on an amazing opportunity when it presents itself. Within the last few years we have seen new companies entering the mobile space. Apple(AAPL), Google(GOOG), RIM(RIMM) and Microsoft(MSFT) are all looking to bite a chunk out of the new exploding mobile market. Even Garmin(GRMN) wants in with it’s new nuvifone. While these giant companies have already pushed out once dominant Palm(PALM) and Motorola(MOT) one company still dominates the mobile world, Nokia.

I recently dug through AdMob’s smartphone statistics for August and was amazed to see the dominant position Nokia has in the global smartphone market. It is obvious that instead of trying to compete for US customers like it’s competition, Nokia has had a much more global focus and captured an unbelievable amount of market share. AdMob’s statistics relate to internet traffic, but provide an amazing insight into the smartphone market. You can download the entire report here, but below are some of the mind-blowing statistics I discovered:

- Nokia had 62.4% share of worldwide smartphone traffic in August 08 and the next closest is RIM with 10.8%.
- Nokia manufactures 13 of the top 20 smartphones worldwide.
- Nokia has 33.7% market share in total phones including regular, and smartphones. The next closest is Motorola with 13.7%
- Nokia dominates in small emerging markets like the Philippines (86%) and South Africa (87%).

While spending this week at the TechCrunch50 conference in San Francisco, there was one quote that stood out from the rest. Navin Chadda from the Mayfield Fund said, "We like to invest in companies that have an unfair advantage in customer acquisition". While he was referring to investing in private startups, I feel like the same holds true with public companies. Nokia has been busy snatching up global market share while RIM, Palm, Microsoft and Apple have been fighting for the US’s attention. Nokia’s commanding lead in global market share puts them in the unfair advantage Navin Chadda was referring too.

While it still dominates, NOK has recently hit a near two year low. The problem is that companies like Apple and RIM are selling their phones at break-even prices for the shear purpose of snatching market share from Nokia, who announced that they would not snoop to their level. The markets do not take this increased competition lightly, but this also presents an amazing opportunity to invest. This aggressive approach from its competitors cannot last long and is purely a marketing scheme that will end. Reports from Gartner Inc. saying that the slowing economy is effecting smartphone sales and downgrades from clueless investment banks have beaten Nokia’s stock price down to a two year low on the eve of a global smartphone growth explosion. Smartphones present opportunities for multiple business opportunities including GPS, music and mobile applications. Nokia’s new Symbian operating system is on par with the iPhone and Android, and will be able to compete with the best of them.

Nokia’s current stock price looks extremely undervalued at these levels. Compared to it’s new competition, I might even consider it a steal. Picking up some shares of NOK under $24 might be one the best opportunities available in the tech market today.

Disclosure: I definitely own some NOK

My Week At The TechCrunch50

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:03:32 -0400

I spent the last week at the TechCrunch50 watching startups present and listening to the tech elite discuss various topics ranging from fundraising to tech's new clash with Hollywood. I learned a lot, took a ton of notes, and am officially mentally and physically exhausted.

As for the majority of the companies presenting, I truthfully wasn't all that impressed. There were of course some great stand out startups, but of the 52 who presented, I can honestly say I was only impressed with a few. Maybe I expected too much, maybe my ass just hurt from sitting in those uncomfortable chairs all day, but there were a lot of companies presenting extremely unimaginative ideas. For example AdRocket was building an advertising platform that delivered targeted ads in company newsletters/emails. How a startup like that was chosen to present out of the 1000+ entries boggles my mind. I even want as far as to predict that this event officially popped the Web 2.0 bubble. My favorite of the presenting companies were:
1) Yammer- Twitter for the enterprise
2) DotSpots- Annotating the web
3) ExchangeP- Virtual stock exchange for private companies
4) Mytopia- Developer of RUGS, a framework for developing and compiling native applications that will run on EVERY mobile operating system.
5) Akoha- A real world game where missions can be tracked online
6) GoodGuide- The world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of products and companies.

In the end, six companies were brought on stage, five as finalists and one $50k winner. Surprisingly, Yammer took home the check. I love the idea of Yammer, I signed up for their service while I was listening to their pitch, but I'm not sure they should have been the winner. There is a lot to learn from the judges' decision though. The main thing I take away is that it's not about how cool or innovative your product is, it's about having something that is (super) simple, useful and profitable.

The startup presentations were boring at times, but the panels and discussions between sessions completely made up for it. Below are a few of the interesting quotes and advice I jotted down while listening to the various investors and geeks talk shop.

"Solve ONE particular pain point... then build the platform" - Effen Roelof (Sequoia)

"Follow the money, not the users" - Mark Cuban

"If I were raising money for a startup, I would use the angel investors, not VC's." - Raj Kapoor (Mayfield Fund)

"We like to invest in companies that have an unfair advantage in customer acquisition." - Navin Chadda (Mayfield Fund)

"I think the term viral marketing is an oxymoron" - Joss Whedon

By far the highlight of the event for me was the Mark Cuban interview. I have been a big fan of his for a long time and even more so now. Below are some of the great notes and quotes I took while listening to him.
- Broadcast was making 23 million the quarter when they sold for 5.7 billion
- We had over 1 million uniques a day when we sold broadcast.com
- Do things that people say wont work, do what people say can't be done
- I look at industries that I know are messed up
- Always put yourself in a position where you can control your own destiny
- Sales cures all - If you cant make money/sell your product, move on
- I will not invest in a company if you come to me with an exit strategy
- When we sold broadcast.com, we had 300 employees and 130 were in sales
- Everybody's got the will to win, the feeling that this is it, but not many people have the will to prepare - Bobby Knight
- You have too know your market better than anybody

All in all it was a great event and I want to thank TechCrunch for accepting my student application (at least now I can say college was good for something!). I look forward to attending and possibly presenting next year ;) .

Check out all of my twits from the event here.

FMCN May Have Found It's Bottom

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:56:42 -0400

I have been a fan of FMCN for some time. About a year back I posted that this was a great way to get some China exposure and play the Olympics at the same time. Problem was, I think I was about a year late. The market had already been pricing that in for some time, and the stock has been performing pretty poorly ever since.

An earthquake in China shook the stock and then the weak market dragged it down even farther. The short interest in FMCN has gone up dramatically during this time as trend followers hopped on board and the market took a turn for the worse. Their are currently 23.5 million shares short and an average volume of 4 million. At this rate it would take shorts a full 6 days to cover and it only takes a few positive press releases to make that happen.

Today Focus Media announced a $100 million buy back. They are going to use 1/4 of their $400 million in cash to fund it. Tan Zhi, chief executive officer of Focus Media, commented, ''Our Board's approval of the share repurchase program reflects our commitment to increase shareholder value and our confidence that the current ADS price level does not reflect our potential value.''

On that note it seems that FMCN may have found it's bottom. The potential for a short squeeze, the $100 million buyback & the olympics may be the trifecta this stock needs to turn this trend around. It is nice to see a company looking out for it's shareholders when times get tough. The future is very bright for this company, and this looks like a good time to hop on board.

Disclosure: I am a current shareholder of FMCN.

The Run On The Banks Begins

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:50:15 -0400

As I drove down Ventura blvd today to my dentist appointment I passed a long line that went down the street and around the corner. I couldnt quite get a glimpse of what people were waiting for but it must have been important. I figured there must be an AT&T store there that just got a new shipment of iPhone 3Gs.

While I was in the waiting room I read the news about the run on the banks and how the federal government had to move in to save IndyMac. On my way back I drove by again and the line got longer. There were police and news vans everywhere. I wish I had taken a picture, but no picking up your phone while driving in LA!

It reminded me of history class back in 8th grade. Learning about the great depression and the run on the banks in 1933. This is only the begenning folks. Things can go from bad to worse real quick come soon. Lets hope for the best.

Breaking Up With JMBA

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:50:27 -0400

I have been a JMBA shareholder since day one(ish). Back in March of ’06 Service Acquisition Corp.(SVI), a SPAC company announced that it was going to use the money raised from it’s IPO to buy Jamba Juice. As a Southern California native I have witnessed Jamba Juice go from a small smoothie shop to a full-blown national franchise. The story was compelling, and I felt like I had gotten in on what could potentially be an exciting opportunity. Boy was I wrong.

One of the worst parts about the story is that I had been averaging down as the stock price went down. Eventually my average price per share came in at around $6.50. The problem all along is that I have just been married to this stock and the potential for this company. I was infatuated with the idea of owning a company from the beginning and watching it grow up into a big, well known, national public company. Obviously I liked that idea more than I liked to make money, cause the company has done nothing but taken advantage of our relationship.

The management at JMBA has never once acknowledged the fact that the company has lost over 80% of its value over the last 2 years. They haven’t done as much as to say, “We understand that our shareholders are hurting, and we have a plan to fix it.” So sufficed to say this has been a one sided relationship, they don’t give a shit about their shareholders.

JMBA has never been a large part of my portfolio. I always considered it to be a little gem that I could some day be proud to of been a part of from the beginning. But that small position has gotten a whole lot smaller to the point where it is embarrassing to even see it in my portfolio.

Everything I have ever said about JMBA still holds true. I still believe there to be a lot of potential in their ready-to-drink line and maybe some day they will grow into a profitable company. But we will never see this as long as the people in charge act the way they do. It is sad to see this position go, but in order to be serious about my new trading strategy I can’t have any skeletons in my portfolio.

Related Posts:
Jamba Juice Finally Extends It's Brand, Officially (27 May, 2008)

JMBA- Cutting Back (21 August, 2007)

JMBA- All Time Lows, & Taking Me With It (15 August, 2007)

JMBA- Time To Get Back On Board (26 July, 2007)

Jamba Juice Explodes On Record Earnings, And Then Tanks (12 June, 2007)

My First Few Trades With My New Strategy

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:45:03 -0400

Since starting with my new trading strategy things have been going according to plan. I have had some very successful +6% trades and limited the rest to less than -2%. One thing I hadn’t anticipated (but probably should have because it makes sense) was how quickly stocks reach their 6% goal. Both successful trades each took 5 and 6 days to reach their price targets. Knowing your price targets ahead of time makes all the difference in the world. If you see a stock approaching your target, put in a sell order and see if it triggers. One small pop can trigger your order even if the stock opens and closes nowhere near your target. My three most recent trades:

Short CSTR @ 34.65 on 6/24/08
Bought CSTR @ 32.05 on 7/1/08
TOTAL = 8.11% gain

Short MSFT @ 27.90 on 6/24/08
Bought MSFT @ 26.25 on 7/2/08
TOTAL = 6.29% gain

Bought T @ 33.35 on 7/1/08
Sold T @ 32.75 on 7/7/08
TOTAL = 1.8% loss

The AT&T(T) trade didn't fly because the market was getting crushed at the time. It is always best to be long or short according to overall market conditions. After 5 days and no sign of T trading in the direction I had planned, it was time to dump it and move on. If a stocks doesn't move as anticipated, get rid of it and put the money to work elsewhere.

At this rate I should be at my first 6% goal in no time. Then only 11 more times to double my money. The extremely choppy market conditions are making for great trading. Just remember to set stops, and everything will go according to plan.

The 6 Percent Solution

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:15:14 -0400

Below is the current strategy I use when investing my money in the stock market. I may make slight changes and adjustments to this strategy as time goes by, but the general concept will always stay the same.

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If you make 6% 12 times you double your money.
If you double your money 8 times it becomes $1.2 million.
[Starting with only $5k]
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Portfolio Rules

Always know where my next 6% goal is.

Sell all positions every time goal is reached.

No more than 4 stocks at a time.

Stock Rules

Plan the trade, trade the plan (know exactly where I am going to buy and where I am going to sell before pulling the trigger)

Never let a gain turn into a loss. Use stops.

Never lose more than 2%.

Always sell once up 5-10%.

Stock Picking Rules

Avoid stocks with known upcoming catalysts.

Pick stocks based on trends and technicals.

Look for stocks with potential for 5-10% gains.

Never pick stocks under $20.

Never pick stocks with average volume under 500,000.

Other Rules

Never hold a stock through earnings.

This strategy forces me to acknowledge some very important concepts that I believe make me a better investor.

You will get sidetracked without a solid plan.

Investing is all about discipline. Make a plan and stick to it.

If you want to set your goals high, you need to take lots of baby steps to reach them.

My Pledge To Disciplined Investing

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:44:21 -0400

Back when I first began investing I built a strategy that I believed (and still do) could make me the most money, and best fit my investing style. It was a mash-up of the many investing strategies and concepts I had read in books and researched before putting my hard earned money to work in the markets. It was developed with no personal investing experience, but was based on the ideas and concepts of professional, successful, experienced investors. I had $5,000 at the time and my goal was to turn it into $1,000,000. The strategy was built on a set of rules that would help me minimize risk and stay focused on the baby steps towards my end goal. I called the strategy "The 6% Solution".

Fast-forward to today, and not only have I not reached that goal, but I was never able to successfully implement the strategy. The problem lies with what I consider to be the most important and difficult part of investing, discipline. The strategy would have worked as long as I stuck to the plan and focused on my goal. It turns out that was extremely difficult and boring. I found myself chasing the big winners, taking bigger risks and essentially attempting to prove my rules wrong.

I spent the last few years avoiding discipline only to learn that you simply cannot be a successful investor without it. So here is my pledge to being a disciplined investor:

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I will review my investing strategy before every trading day.
I will never break the rules of my strategy under any circumstance.
I will not let the excitement of the market interfere with my strategy.
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Remember, it is not so much the strategy. In fact, you can change and develop the strategy if need be, It is sticking to the strategy that counts. For an example of a strategy, check out the one that I use. The 6% Solution.

The Big Bid For Bud

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:40:45 -0400

Everyone knows, you don't mess with a mans beer, but maybe Belgium never got the memo. InBev, maker of Beck's and Stella Artois brands has just made a $46 Billion bid for Anheuser-Busch. Not only is this a good offer, it is a great offer valuing the stock at $65 a share. Budweiser's struggling stock has been hanging out around the $40-50 level for the last 5 years. From a shareholder standpoint, the company should take the deal. Unfortunately this story gets a lot uglier.

For those who don't know, Anheuser-Busch is a company that is very near and dear to my heart. What can I say... I love drinking a cold Bud. JK. Actually, my dad has worked for Anheuser-Busch since before I was born and beer money has basically funded my entire life. Growing up around "The Bud Guys", I can truly say that this is the most genuine company/group of people who not only represent the American dream, but are respected as a great American company. The thought of losing such a great American icon to the dark side of free/open capital markets puts pit in my stomach.

What we are seeing here represents a scary trend in the American financial system. Our weak dollar and shot economy make American companies a target for takeover by thriving emerging countries. While the bulls-eye has been on America's forehead for many years, it was not until now that our oversees competitors have the ability to pull the trigger.

So who decides whether the deal goes through? The Busch family owns 4%, Buffett owns 5%, the Budweiser distributors own a good chunk of the company, but the boys on Wall Street still own controlling interest in the company. Will it matter to them that losing this company will dent the ego of our already suffering country?

The legal eagles on capital hill are already buzzing trying to figure out ways to make the deal "illegal". On the other hand, Budweiser is batting around it's own ideas on how to avoid the merger. Mexico's Grupo Modelo SAB and Anheuser-Busch have been working together for many years and if they were to merge, the combined company would be too large for InBev to swallow. Unfortunately one rumor floating around the Bud camp is that InBev has the financial backing to raise it's bid as high as $70 Billion which would value BUD at roughly $98 a share! It would be a hard sale convincing the market to deny an offer which is 2X the what the stock price was only a few short months ago.

This is going to be a long battle and I am only hoping we can hang on to this great American icon. The least we can do at this point is sign this petition to save Budweiser and keep Anheuser-Busch an American owned company. I will make sure to keep everyone updated on any news/rumors that come floating my way.

The GPS & Location Targeting Trend Is Still In It's Infant Stages

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:17:22 -0400

If there is one trend that I truly believe in it is GPS and location awareness. This technology is another example of tech developed for the government and military which is finding consumer applications. Not only is GPS extremely helpful, but it will soon change advertising as we know it. The launch of the iPhone 3G with it's new GPS capabilities got me thinking about how this technology is really still in it's infant stages. Last year sent some GPS stocks soaring, but they look to have come back down to attractive levels. There are also a few hidden gems out there still waiting to be discovered by the market.

Garmin (GRMN)
Garmin is one of the biggest names in GPS because they brought those dashboard turn by turn navigation systems to the masses. The HUGE runup we saw at the end of last year was driven by pure speculation that every car in America would get a new navigation system in their Christmas stockings. In an attempt to leverage it's brand and diversify it's product lineup, Garmin will launch the nuvifone in the third quarter of '08.

SiRF Technology Holdings (SIRF)
SiRF develops the chips found in many GPS devices. Unfortunately the company was a victim of the big hit GPS stocks took at the beginning of '08. Last year, many of SiRF's competitors were swallowed up by big chip makers who were looking to integrate GPS into their other technologies. The stock isn't looking too attractive right here, but being the last independent GPS technology company around makes them an interesting play.

Navteq (NVT)
You must have seen it at the bottom of your Google maps, "Map Data Provided By Navteq". This is the company that keeps the worlds maps up to date and accurate. They basically dominate the market and without them, none of this GPS madness would be possible. Their real time traffic data is a recent example of various products the company can offer in the future to attract customers and investors.

GeoEye (GEOY)
GeoEye is big brother at it's finest. Soon this year, GeoEye will launch it's new satellite capable of taking the highest resolution images of any commercial satellite ever. GeoEye's images already show up on services like Google Maps and are used by many businesses for detailed data on large areas.

Local.com (LOCM)
This is my favorite play because the stock is so cheap and has so much potential. While it is not a pure GPS play I think it will turn into one. Local.com is a search engine strictly targeted towards local searches. For example you type in your zip code, and pizza to find all the local pizza shops, reviews and ratings. While this is nothing new, data like this will be extremely important when everyone in the united states has GPS in their pocket. There will be no more typing in your zip code when the phone knows exactly where you are at any given time. Imagine sitting in a restaurant and the phone pulling up the reviews and ratings because it knows you are inside. I can see local.com getting bought up by a big phone manufacturer, service provider or even a competitor.

If you know of any other good stocks which will benefit from the trend in GPS and location targeting make sure and share in the comments below.

Can Hybrid Technologies Win The X-Prize?

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:17:47 -0400

Hybrid Technologies has given us the first look at the vehicle they plan on winning the X-Prize with. This new car will come in two models, one gas/electric and one all electric vehicle. This new electric only racecar will travel between 120-180 miles on one charge, and the gas/electric model should go a minimum of 220 mpg. Some big questions for me still remain, will they will win the automotive X-Prize? How will this help their stock? Red or silver?

Related Articles:
Nissan Plugs In (19 May, 2008)
Investing In Hybrid Technologies (16 May, 2008)