'Aronson' Files

Target slides while Wal-Mart soars

2008-11-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

Doron's Take:

Wal-Mart continues to post huge profits while Target continues its slide. I guess consumers care more about having the lowest prices than as to how the companies operate in their drive to thrive. How do Wal-Mart's employees feel about their company's record profits?

The Wall Journal reports that Target Corp. posted its fourth consecutive quarterly slide in profit, which fell 24% as strapped shoppers were unswa yed by the retailer's pitches for fashionable apparel and home goods. While Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation's largest private employer, is reaping big gains from the souring economy even as consumers cut back, retail chains struggle and thousands lose their jobs.

Will Wal-Mart's success continue?

Google and RIM on Rise

2008-06-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

Doron's Take:

Wow, if there's two technology stocks that don't seem to be phased by the current economic downturn, it's definitely Canadian based Research in Motion and Silicon Valley's Google. At the end of last week, Google gained almost 15 dollars to close at $583.00 and RIM (maker of the BlackBerry smart phone) rose over a dollar to close at $138.98.

In another side piece of news, Apple's new iPhone will likely go on sale on June 18th according to various reports, while phones running Google's Android operating system aren't set to launch until late summer or fall. So it's in Google's best interest to do whatever they can do now to woo audiences. If people like what they see, they might wait for Android phones before they decide which, if either phone, to buy. So at Google's developer conference last week, they demoed some sneak peeks of Android to entice people to wait and not buy the latest 3G iPhone.

What about you? Will you wait till the Google Android phone are out or are you a hardcore Apple supporter that couldn't care to wait?

Statue of Liberty Built out of Lego

2008-03-24T16:39:00.003-07:00

IMG_0288
Originally uploaded by AronsonFiles

World Trade Center Site on March 22, 2008

2008-03-24T16:39:00.001-07:00

IMG_0320
Originally uploaded by AronsonFiles

Aronson Files in NYC

2008-03-24T16:22:00.001-07:00

Aronson Files in NYC
Originally uploaded by AronsonFiles

Aronson Files in New York CIty for the New Media Boot Camp.

PR Gone Wild

2008-03-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Weather in NYC

2008-03-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

I can't say I'm enjoying the weather in New York which can be best be described by this photo as dismal at best:

cold

windy

dark

You Tube Makes Lonely Girl Famous

2008-03-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

Doron's Take:
What started off as a lonely girl's video diary ended up being revealed as a hoax created by a Hollywood talent agency. It could have backfired but instead led to fame and fortune and the cover of Wired Magazine and stories in NYT, etc. What does this say about our society and new media? It means the balance of power has shifted to us as Time Magazine said last year when it voted YOU the Person of the Year.

Read the story in Wired: "She is a high school girl with swooping eyebrows, boy problems, and a webcam willing to listen. The room behind her could be anywhere in America – there's a pink floral-print bedspread, a half-dozen stuffed animals, and a framed picture of a rose on the wall..."

Edelman Releases Trust Barometer: Who Do We Trust?

2008-03-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

Doron's Take:

It's not a big surprise that we trust our friends and relatives for purchase decisions, etc. more than we do companies like Apple, Microsoft or Procter and Gamble and people like doctors or academic experts.

Edelman released a study that says: "Global opinion leaders say their most credible source of information about a company is now “a person like me,” which has risen dramatically to surpass doctors and academic experts for the first time, according to the seventh annual Edelman Trust Barometer, a survey of nearly 2,000 opinion leaders in 11 countries. In the U.S., trust in “a person like me” increased from 20% in 2003 to 68% today. Opinion leaders also consider rank-and-file employees more credible spokespersons than corporate CEOs (42% vs. 28% in the U.S.)."

New Media Boot Camp

2008-03-20T06:31:00.001-07:00

I'm in NYC this week for Eric Schwartzman's New Media Boot Camp. Hopefully I'll learn everything I did not know but that there is to know about blogs, search engine optimization, podcasts, RSS and social media.

Japan To Bail out America?

2008-01-17T14:36:00.000-08:00

Doron's Take:

In a move to expand out of Japan, senior sources at the “big three” Tokyo megabanks told The Financial Times today that they had readied a combined cashpile of as much as $10 billion and were open to negotiation with any struggling Wall Street bank that approached them for a cash infusion. You might ask why Japan? I think the Japanese banks are smelling opportunity here to expand overseas operations after over 20 years of operating in the strict confines of Japan's domestic market after the bursting of the Japanese bubble.

Oracle Buys BEA

2008-01-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

Doron's Take:

Oracle continues on its buying spree. The acquisition of BEA propels Oracle ahead of IBM and makes them the number one player in middleware. Middleware is a general term for any programming that serves to "glue together" or mediate between two separate and often already existing programs. Middleware is typically used for messaging so that different applications can communicate together. Looks to be a great deal for both companies. Interesting to see what the two companies' customers think?

India Unveils World's Cheapest Car

2008-01-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

Doron's Take:

For the same price as a high-end DVD player, India unveiled the world's cheapest car today. Read Jim's post on it here. I'm skeptical that it will really be a disruptive innovation. There's been a lot of innovative cars launched over the last 10 years, how many of them really caught on with the masses? Filling it up with gas for 6 months is about the same cost as the car. How useful is the low cost of the car if all the car's doing is sitting on people's driveways cause they can't afford to gas it up?

Is Sun/Google Android fight overblown?

2008-01-11T17:56:00.001-08:00

Doron's Take:

From what Jonathan Schwartz has been saying, it doesn't look like he's looking for a fight with Google! Read his blog post on the partnership here for more.

Sun/Google Android “fight” overblown by ZDNet's Ed Burnette -- Ever since Google kicked off the Open Handset Alliance and released the "gPhone" Android SDK for mobile devices, the blogosphere has been buzzing about a new conflict brewing between Sun and Google over the future of Java. But I'm here to tell you, it's all bunk.

Facebook Founder Goes on 60 Minutes

2008-01-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

Doron's Take:

Turn on your t.v. this Sunday at 7 pm for an interview with Facebook founder, Zuckerberg. I'm sure it'll be a worthwhile one. The reporter Stahl focuses heavily on the controversy surrounding Beacon, the advertising beacon used by Facebook. We all heard the story of the guy who bought his girfriend a diamond ring online and before he knew it his girlfriend and his entire Facebook network knew about it. Well, so much for the surprise proposal he planned for his girlfriend.

Facebook, one of the fastest growing sites online has 60 million users. Zuckerberg started Facebook while a student at Harvard and he's now worth $3 billion based on the Microsoft deal. But sounds like the $ hasn't gone to his head yet as he showed up to the interview in sweatshirt and sandals. :-)

Click here now for a preview, 60 Minutes interview with Zuckerberg. He'll speak to Beacon, the controversial advertising device many accused of invading the privacy of Facebook users.

Intel Leaves One Laptop Per Child Project

2008-01-04T12:08:00.001-08:00

Doron's Take:

In reading the buzz around the below news today, it sounds like Intel didn't want to do what Negroponte wanted which was to stop selling its Classmate PC while it was part of the OLPC, which is currently shipping its XO laptop based on a chip from AMD.

CNET reports that after settling their dispute just 6 months ago, Intel and Nicholas Negroponte have parted ways. The two had joined forces in bringing PCs to children around the world.

Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project had brought Intel on board as a partner and a possible future supplier. Intel was the 11th member of the OLPC's board, joining other companies such as Google, eBay, Nortel and Intel's bitter rival Advanced Micro Devices.

Apple's iPhone Voted One of Top Tech Disappointments for 2007

2007-12-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

Doron's Take:

I don't own an iPhone yet but from what everyone tells me who does, Apple has had a few setbacks on this front. First, they reduced the price by $200 a few months after introducing it thereby affecting a core group of customers (early adopters) who bought it at the original price. Secondly, they forced people who were with Verizon, T-Mobile, etc. to switch to AT&T if they ever hoped to activate their phones.

Don Reisinger had an interesting post on the subject and why the iPhone is one of the top tech disappointments of 2007. PC World also voted it one of the top disappointments for 2007.

Verizon Rated Number One in Cell Phone Service Quality

2007-12-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

Doron's Take:

I always thought AT&T lagged behind. They definitely outpace all the other providers in advertising and PR but that doesn't always mean you're #1, does it? Read the latest cell phone services rankings here.

Forbes Writer Comments on Rise of India and China

2007-12-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

Jim has a link to an NPR interview with Forbes journalist Robyn Meredith. Did you know that the main chip for the iPod was manufactured in India? Click here to listen to how India and China led to the global iPod revolution and how they are leading the overall global economic revolution.

Gartner warns companies to slow social networking adoption

2007-12-17T09:55:00.000-08:00

Doron's Take:

Companies need to adapt to new mediums of communication including social networking. Fear of spread of intellectual property should not be a deciding factor. Guidelines can be put in place so that employees are aware of their limitations. Employees will not necesarrily use the company's social networking platform buy may continue using one they are already familiar with whether that be linkenin.com or facebook.com. Read the CNET article here.

'Aronson' Files: Google Announces Open Social Networking

2007-12-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

'Aronson' Files: Google Announces Open Social Networking

Disney to Launch Cell Phone Service in Japan

2007-11-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

Doron's Take:

Disney's announcement today that they're going to jointly develop mobile phones and content could have interesting implications for the wireless industry.

It's interesting because Disney has already halted its U.S.-based phone service. The company has decided to target their efforts only in Japan instead. Disney and Japanese mobile phone carrier Softbank Corp. announced that the two companies would jointly develop mobile phones and content. The cell phone carrier services will launch in Q1 2008. Disney took a $30 million charge last year when it shut down another phone service, Mobile ESPN, which it ran on Sprint Nextel's network. It will be interesting to see how this deal pans out long-term.

Google Doesn't Announce Google Phone

2007-11-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

Doron's Take:

Google's announcement today of a new open software platform and an alliance of wireless heavy hitters was surprising for what it was missing. Sure, they formed a development community for the planned phones, but are the phones ever coming? On a conference call with analysts and press, Google did not really say 'no, we are not introducing a Google Phone.'

Google officially unveiled Android, the new mobile phone software. 34 companies have said they will join the Open Handset Alliance, a multinational alliance that will work on developing applications on the Android platform. Members of the alliance include mobile handset makers HTC and Motorola, U.S. operator T-Mobile, and chipmaker Qualcomm.

Google Announces Open Social Networking

2007-11-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

On Nov. 1st, Google announced the release of OpenSocial -- a set of common application program interfaces or APIs for building social applications across the web -- for developers of social applications and for websites that want to add social features. In a move that was expected for the last few weeks, Google's news allows developers to build widgets that take advantage of personal data and profile connections on a social-networking site. But instead of limiting the project to its own social-networking site, Orkut, Google has invited other sites along for the ride--including LinkedIn, Hi5, Plaxo, Ning, and Friendster.

Google's move is in stark contrast to Facebook, the social-networking site that has been growing quite steadily for the last year or two and now has more than 53 million active users
and an average of 250,000 new registrations per day since Jan. 2007. Facebook made some noise back in May 07 when it announced the opening of its own developer platform in May but has kept developer activity restricted to its own service (and has since signed an exclusive ad deal with Microsoft in exchange for an equity investment). When other social networks began to announce their own "platform strategies" this fall, concerns were raised that developers would have to create a completely new application for each site. That could prove inefficient and costly, especially for smaller developers working on a limited budget.

Facebook may have to launch IPO sooner rather than later

2007-10-27T08:04:00.000-07:00

According to Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, companies with more than $10 million in assets whose securities are held by more than 500 owners must file annual and other periodic reports. Since Facebook is now valued at $15 billion, it's safe to assume that the company will begin filing quarterly reports soon.