Silicon Valley Sentinel

Wireless is the Biggest Tech Platform in History. Now What? (Churchill Club - November 30)

2010-11-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

With five billion subscriber connections worldwide, mobile has emerged as the largest technology platform in human history. Having predicted a decade ago that wireless would have far greater impact than the wired Internet, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs remains intent on leveraging the power of mobile to redefine computing, health care, education, social media, commerce and more. Qualcomm is now shipping about a million wireless semiconductors daily, making it the world’s #1 supplier of chipsets for the mobile industry. Former chairman and CEO of Palm turned HP executive, Jon Rubinstein was instrumental in developing Palm’s webOS platform and the Palm Pre smart phone. At Apple he was a driving force behind the creation of the iPod, the disruptive device that changed the way we buy and transport our music. He also led the Apple team that built the original iMac, the personal computer that revitalized Apple and revolutionized personal computer design.

Oracle Wins $1.3B SAP Lawsuit - Stock Climbs 2%

2010-11-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

A message from Oracle's press office simply reads ... "For more than three years, SAP stole thousands of copies of Oracle software and then resold that software and related services to Oracle's own customers. Right before the trial began, SAP admitted its guilt and liability; then the trial made it clear that SAPs most senior executives were aware of the illegal activity from the very beginning. As a result, a United States Federal Court has ordered SAP to pay Oracle $1.3 billion. This is the largest amount ever awarded for software piracy." Track the Oracle stock via CNBC: http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/ORCL

HP Reports Fourth Quarter 2010 Results - Stock Climbs

2010-11-23T11:56:00.000-08:00

HP announced financial results for its fourth fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2010, with net revenue of $33.3 billion, up 8% from the prior-year period including a slight negative currency impact of about one percentage point. In the fourth quarter, GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $1.10, up 11% from $0.99 in the prior-year period. Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $1.33, up 17% from $1.14 in the prior-year period. Non-GAAP financial information excludes after-tax costs of approximately $0.23 per share and $0.15 per share in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 and 2009, respectively, related primarily to the amortization of purchased intangibles, restructuring charges and acquisition-related charges. "HP proved once again that it is able to execute given its market strengths and technology leadership," said Léo Apotheker, HP president and chief executive officer. "I have seen firsthand that we have talented people who are focused on delivering value for our customers. Our market opportunity is vast, and I am confident that we will extend our leadership into the future."

HP's stock is up over 1% today in an otherwise down market. Track the stock via CNBC: http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/hpq

The Beatles Come to Apple iTunes

2010-11-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

Apple Corps, EMI and Apple® today announced that the Beatles are now available for the first time on the iTunes Store®. Starting today, the group’s 13 legendary remastered studio albums with iTunes LPs, the two-volume “Past Masters” compilation and the classic “Red” and “Blue” collections are available for purchase and download on iTunes® worldwide as either albums or individual songs. Fans can also get a special digital “Beatles Box Set” featuring the “Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964” concert film, a worldwide iTunes exclusive which captures the Beatles’ very first US concert.

“We’re really excited to bring the Beatles’ music to iTunes,” said Sir Paul McCartney. “It’s fantastic to see the songs we originally released on vinyl receive as much love in the digital world as they did the first time around.”

“I am particularly glad to no longer be asked when the Beatles are coming to iTunes,” said Ringo Starr. “At last, if you want it—you can get it now—The Beatles from Liverpool to now! Peace and Love, Ringo.”

“We love the Beatles and are honored and thrilled to welcome them to iTunes,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “It has been a long and winding road to get here. Thanks to the Beatles and EMI, we are now realizing a dream we’ve had since we launched iTunes ten years ago.”

Intel Announces 15% Increase to Quarterly Cash Dividend - Stock Climbs

2010-11-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

Intel announced that its board of directors has approved a 15 percent increase in the quarterly cash dividend to 18 cents per share (72 cents per share on an annual basis), beginning with the dividend that will be declared in the first quarter of 2011.

“Intel remains on track to have our best year ever and we continue to generate strong cash flows,” said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. “Our ongoing operational performance and confidence in our business going forward provide the ability to return more cash to shareholders.” Intel began paying a cash dividend in 1992 and has paid out approximately $20 billion to its shareholders in dividends. Intel cash dividends for the first through third quarters of 2010 total approximately $2.6 billion. Intel's stock surged 1.51% Friday in spite of the Nasdaq's 1.46% decline - track the stock via CNBC: http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/intc

Intel, NEC and Microsoft Form Strategic "Digital Signage" Relationship

2010-11-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

Intel, Microsoft and NEC have announced that the companies will enter into a strategic relationship to provide an integrated digital signage offering for the global market, including Japan. This collaboration will result in an optimized digital signage platform that addresses the retail and digital signage market segment’s need for a more streamlined, high performance and highly reliable solution that supports digital content, interactivity, intelligence and lifecycle management.

In January 2010, Intel and Microsoft announced a strategic relationship to develop and promote a validated platform for intelligent digital signage applications. NEC will integrate solutions and services including content management and media distribution with the digital signage platform based on the Intel® Core™ i5/i7 processor running Windows Embedded Standard 7. The companies have discussed collaboration in the areas of hardware, software, system integration and services. NEC’s joining this alliance will further promote the concept of intelligent digital signage and embody next generation digital signage products. This includes a strategic cloud computing collaboration, which is intended to eventually increase alignment between NEC, Intel and Microsoft.

Cisco reports Q1 2011 earnings improvement, yet stock delcines

2010-11-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

Cisco reported its first quarter results for the period ended October 30, 2010. Cisco reported first quarter net sales of $10.75 billion, net income on a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis of $1.9 billion or $0.34 per share, and non-GAAP net income of $2.4 billion or $0.42 per share.

"Cisco delivered solid financial results, during a challenging economic environment. While we have seen capital spending moderate in some areas of our business, our execution in the areas we can control and influence speak to the success and relevance of the company's strategy," said John Chambers, chairman and CEO, Cisco. "Our position in the market, including continued product innovation, market share momentum and operational excellence, positions us for growth and flexibility well into the future as we strengthen our role as a trusted business partner to our customers." The Cisco stock plunged over 13% in after hours trading. Track the stock via CNBC: http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/CSCO

AMD Uses Annual Financial Analyst Day to Details the Vivid Future of Computing

2010-11-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

AMD demonstrated how its unique combination of CPU and GPU computing technologies on a single die will enable breakthrough capabilities in an innovative processor design with planned OEM system availability in early 2011. AMD executives detailed how this new class of processor, AMD Fusion Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), is poised to create a sustained position of advantage by powering demanding PC workloads in sleek form factors with long battery life, pacing future AMD growth. AMD Fusion APUs are built from DirectX® 11-capable GPU technology and either low-power or high-performance multi-core x86 CPU technology. These APUs are designed to vastly improve today's Internet, video processing and playback, and gaming (client and online) experiences. For the first time, AMD also demonstrated its new high-performance x86 multi-core CPU architecture codenamed "Bulldozer" and provided additional information around the "Bulldozer" launch schedule.

"AMD's business model has consistently delivered operating profits this year, while the strength of our platform offerings drove continued expansion of our customer base," said Dirk Meyer, AMD president and CEO. "The industry is at an inflection point, with users demanding technology that is more immersive and interactive. With our upcoming AMD Fusion APUs combining our DirectX 11-capable graphics processors and next-generation microprocessors on a single chip, we are poised to lead the industry's next computing era with richer, more vivid digital experiences."

"AMD Fusion products represent the biggest advancement in processor technology since the industry's switch to multi-core designs," observed Nathan Brookwood, research fellow at Insight 64. "AMD Fusion enables a quantum increase in the performance of entry-level and mainstream processors, and helps software developers enrich their offerings in ways that would previously have been hard to imagine. These enhanced applications, in turn, will give the PC industry tools to tap into new opportunities that only the latest GPU technology can provide."

Electronic Arts reports Q2 2010 earnings - stock declines 2% after hours

2010-11-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Electronic Arts announced preliminary financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2010. “EA reaffirms its FY11 non-GAAP guidance,” said Eric Brown, Chief Financial Officer. “EA is the world’s #1 publisher calendar year-to-date and our portfolio is focused on high-growth platforms -- high definition consoles, PC and mobile.”“We had another strong quarter, beating expectations both top and bottom line,” said John Riccitiello, Chief Executive Officer. “We credit our results to blockbusters like FIFA 11 and to innovative digital offerings like The Sims 3 Ambitions and Madden NFL 11 on the iPad.”

Non-GAAP net revenue of $884 million exceeded guidance of $775 million to $825 million. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.10 exceeded guidance of ($0.15) to ($0.10). As expected, non-GAAP net revenue in Q2 fiscal 11 was lower compared to Q2 fiscal 10 due to lower distribution revenues and a reduced title slate, which went from nine major titles in Q2 fiscal 10 to seven in Q2 fiscal 11. This was partially offset by digital revenue growth. Track the EA stock via CNBC: http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/ERTS

Oracle to acquire ATG combining CRM and cross-channel eCommerce

2010-11-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

Oracle has agreed to acquire Art Technology Group, a leading provider of eCommerce software and related on demand commerce optimization applications, through a cash merger for $6.00 per share, or approximately $1.0 billion. ATG’s solutions enable enterprises to provide a cohesive online customer experience with sophisticated merchandising, marketing, content personalization, automated recommendations, and live-help services.

ATG’s eCommerce software platform is the industry’s top-ranked, cross-channel commerce solution and is highly complementary to Oracle’s CRM, ERP, Retail, and Supply Chain applications, as well as its portfolio of middleware and business intelligence technologies. ATG also offers on demand commerce optimization applications that provide companies with an online presence, the ability to improve customer satisfaction through immediate service response and automated recommendations. Together Oracle and ATG expect to help businesses grow revenue, strengthen customer loyalty, improve brand value, achieve better operating results, and increase business agility across online and traditional commerce environments.

NetWork 2010: The Future of Work - GigaOm Conference Preview (December 9 in San Francisco)

2010-10-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

On December 9, GigaOM will present a new conference that highlights the opportunities that broadband and mobility have created for connecting work and workers and the technology that is addressing the way corporations operate and conduct business. Net:Work 2010 will assemble GigaOM editors and research analysts, top business leaders and technology companies to explore the challenges and opportunities presented by a new culture of work. And we’ll look at key tools and technologies making collaboration a simple business.

The NetWork 2010 conference explores the future of work. On December 9th, discover how the web is creating a global medium for channeling effort, and redefining how we think about both work and the organization of corporations. Participate at NetWork 2010 and have your questions answered. Discover of some of the best people, organizations, tools and technologies. Learn what works today, understand the trends of tomorrow and find the missing pieces in the picture. Drive your organization forward confidently with the knowledge gained from your participation at NetWork 2010.

Microsoft reports strong software demand - Does this bode well for Silicon Valley vendors?

2010-10-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

Microsoft reported very strong revenues and earnings yesterday due to increased corporate-business demand for its products, notably Windows 7 upgrades. Does this bode well for Silicon Valley tech titans who focus on the enterprise and SMB markets, such as Oracle, HP and Intel? In spite of weak consumer spending, will business demand provide a via path to sustained growth? Send your thoughts to use here at the Silicon Valley Sentinel. Track the Microsoft stock via CNBC: http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/MSFT

Google emerges the second-largest carrier of Internet traffic, according to Arbor Networks

2010-10-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

Google now represents an average 6.4% of all Internet traffic around the world. This number grows even larger (to as much as 8-12%) if I include estimates of traffic offloaded by the increasingly common Google Global Cache (GGC) deployments and error in our data due to the extremely high degree of Google edge peering with consumer networks. Keep in mind that these numbers represent increased market share — Google is growing considerably faster than overall Internet volumes which are already increasing 40-45% each year. More data on general Internet growth trends is available in some of our earlier papers and blog posts.

While its not news that Google is Big, what is amazing is how much bigger Google continues to get. A quick analysis of the data also shows Google now has direct peering (i.e. not transit) with more than 70% of all providers around the world (an increase of 5-10% from last year). In fact, the only remaining major group of ISPs without direct Google peering are several of the tier1s and national PTTs — many of whom will not settlement-free peer with Google due to regulatory prohibitions or commercial strategy.

Intel, Other Top Companies Unveil New Cloud Mission for Open Data Centers

2010-10-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

Intel has unveiled several new initiatives under its “Cloud 2015”vision aimed at making cloud-based Internet computing more interoperable, secure and simplified. Intel’s Cloud 2015 vision has three key elements: a “federated” cloud that allows enterprises to share data across internal and external clouds; an “automated” network that automatically allows the secure movement of applications and resources to significantly improve energy efficiency in data centers; and PC and device-savvy “client-aware” clouds that know what types of applications, commands and processing should take place in the cloud or on your laptop, smartphone or other device – thus taking a user and specific device’s unique features into account to fully optimize an online experience.

Intel will support these goals by creating software and building new capabilities into Intel® Xeon® processors, which include features such as Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT) and Intel® Trusted Execution Technology (Intel® TXT) that form the basis of cloud computing today. As a step toward Cloud 2015, Intel helped create the Open Data Center Alliance, a coalition of more than 70 leading businesses that together represent more than $50 billion in annual IT investment and that have cloud research or projects underway. Alliance Steering Committee members include BMW*, China Life*, Deutsche Bank*, J.P. Morgan Chase*, Lockheed Martin*, Marriott International, Inc.*, National Australia Bank*, Shell*, Terremark* and UBS*.The alliance will lay out future hardware and software requirements that lead to more open and interoperable cloud and data center solutions. Intel plays a unique advisory role within the alliance, whose initial membership is focused on end user companies rather than technology providers.

Appcelerator and PayPal Team Up for Mobile Commerce

2010-10-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Appcelerator®, the leading platform for rapidly developing native mobile, desktop, and iPad applications using Web technologies announced today that it has entered into an agreement with PayPal to offer an integrated mobile commerce solution through PayPal’s merchant channel. This new mobile commerce offering will make it easy for the millions of PayPal merchants, along with Appcelerator’s 77,000+ Web developers to rapidly build native iOS, Android, and BlackBerry commerce applications across handsets, tablets, connected TVs, and other devices. Appcelerator has signed a mobile partner program agreement with PayPal to offer a fully integrated mobile commerce offering called Titanium+Commerce to over 8 million PayPal merchants in the first half of 2011. Titanium+Commerce, available in beta starting today, makes it easy for any merchant to rapidly build cross-platform mobile applications that harness a full set of commerce capabilities using existing Web skills and technologies. Merchants and online businesses can rapidly extend into mobile commerce by enabling the purchase of real and virtual goods, services, and content from smartphones, tablets, connected TVs, and other devices.

“Appcelerator is already the number two Apple App Store publisher because they enable rapid mobile innovation,” said Osama Bedier, PayPal’s vice president of platform, mobile and new ventures. “I’m excited to be working with them to bring that innovation potential to mobile commerce, which I believe will one day be bigger than e commerce.” Titanium+Commerce will initially consist of an integration of PayPal’s Mobile Payment Library on top of Appcelerator’s Titanium development platform. Both companies are also working to expand their capabilities to include a broader range of integrated commerce capabilities, including, and transaction analytics and other joint integrations. A demonstration of Titanium+Commerce is now available and will be made available in early 2011 as ready-to-use templates for any merchant to easily customize with their own branding and inventory.

Wireless is the Biggest Tech Platform in History. Now What? (Churchill Club - November 30)

2010-10-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

With five billion subscriber connections worldwide, mobile has emerged as the largest technology platform in human history. Having predicted a decade ago that wireless would have far greater impact that the wired Internet, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs remains intent on leveraging the power of mobile to redefine computing, health care, education, social media, commerce and more. Qualcomm is now shipping about a million wireless semiconductors daily, making it the world’s #1 supplier of chipsets for the mobile industry. Former chairman and CEO of Palm turned HP executive, Jon Rubinstein was instrumental in developing Palm’s webOS platform and the Palm Pre smart phone. At Apple he was a driving force behind the creation of the iPod, the disruptive device that changed the way we buy and transport our music. He also led the Apple team that built the original iMac, the personal computer that revitalized Apple and revolutionized personal computer design. Kara Swisher, Co-Executive Editor, AllThingsD.com will moderate this program. Visit the Churchill Club portal for complete venue and registration details

Apple's Steve Jobs gives a sneak peak at Mac OS X Lion - What will be the impact on Mac sales?

2010-10-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Apple's Steve Jobs gave a sneak peek of Mac OS® X Lion, the eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system. Shipping next summer, Lion is inspired by many of iPad’s software innovations. Today’s sneak peek highlighted just a few of Lion’s features, including the Mac® App Store℠, a new way to discover, install and automatically update desktop apps; Launchpad, a new home for all of your Mac apps; system-wide support for full screen apps; and Mission Control, which unifies Exposé®, Dashboard, Spaces® and full screen apps into an innovative new view of everything running on your Mac, and allows you to instantly navigate anywhere.

“Lion brings many of the best ideas from iPad back to the Mac, plus some fresh new ones like Mission Control that Mac users will really like,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Lion has a ton of new features, and we hope the few we had time to preview today will give users a good idea of where we are headed.”

The Mac App Store brings the revolutionary App Store experience to OS X, making discovering, installing and updating Mac apps easier than ever. Like on iPad™, you purchase apps using your iTunes® account and they download and install in just one step. App updates are delivered directly through the Mac App Store, so it’s easy to keep all of your apps up to date. The Mac App Store will be available for Snow Leopard® within 90 days and will be included in Lion when it ships next summer. Launchpad makes it easier than ever to find and launch any app. Similar to the Home screen on iPad, you can see all the apps on your Mac elegantly displayed just by clicking the Launchpad icon in the dock. Apps can be organized in any order or grouped into folders, and you can swipe through multiple pages of apps to find the one you want. Lion includes system-wide support for full screen applications. With Lion, you can enter full screen mode with just one click, switch from one full screen app to another with just a swipe of the trackpad, and swipe back to the desktop to access your multi-window applications.

Intel Announces $6b-$8b Investment in Next-Gen Manufacturing in U.S.

2010-10-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

Intel Corporation will invest between $6 billion and $8 billion on future generations of manufacturing technology in its American facilities. The action will fund deployment of Intel’s next-generation 22- nanometer (nm) manufacturing process across several existing U.S. factories, along with construction of a new development fabrication plant (commonly called a “fab”) in Oregon. The projects will support 6,000 to 8,000 construction jobs and result in 800 to 1,000 new permanent high-tech jobs.

“Today’s announcement reflects the next tranche of the continued advancement of Moore’s Law and a further commitment to invest in the future of Intel and America,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. “The most immediate impact of our multi-billion-dollar investment will be the thousands of jobs associated with building a new fab and upgrading four others, and the high-wage, high-tech manufacturing jobs that follow.” The PC industry is achieving a significant milestone this year with 1 million PCs shipping per day. The upgraded fabs create the capacity for the continued growth of the PC market segment and additional computing markets Intel is addressing, such as mobile and embedded computing. The new investments reinforce Intel’s leadership in the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing in the world. Intel’s brand-new development fab in Oregon – to be called “D1X” – is scheduled for R&D startup in 2013. Upgrades are also planned for a total of four existing factories in Arizona (known as Fab 12 and Fab 32) and Oregon (known as D1C and D1D).

Apple Reports Q4 2010 Earnings Results on Record Mac, iPhone and iPad Sales

2010-10-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

Apple reported its Q4 2010 financials after today's market close which exceeded analyst estimates. Nonetheless, the stock is fading in after hours trading - currently down some 5.71% (http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/aapl). Here is an excerpt from the company's press release:

Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2010 fourth quarter ended September 25, 2010. The Company posted record revenue of $20.34 billion and net quarterly profit of $4.31 billion, or $4.64 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $12.21 billion and net quarterly profit of $2.53 billion, or $2.77 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.9 percent compared to 41.8 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 57 percent of the quarter’s revenue. Apple sold 3.89 million Macs during the quarter, a 27 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 14.1 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 91 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 9.05 million iPods during the quarter, representing an 11 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter. The Company also sold 4.19 million iPads during the quarter.

“We are blown away to report over $20 billion in revenue and over $4 billion in after-tax earnings—both all-time records for Apple,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPhone sales of 14.1 million were up 91 percent year-over-year, handily beating the 12.1 million phones RIM sold in their most recent quarter. We still have a few surprises left for the remainder of this calendar year.”

“We’re thrilled with the performance and strength of our business, generating almost $5.7 billion in cash flow from operations during the quarter,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2011, we expect revenue of about $23 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $4.80.”

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse to headline the Open mobile Summit (November 8-10 in San Francisco)

2010-10-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

This November, 500 world-leaders across operators, handset and consumer electronics manufacturers, Internet giants, media and publishing firms, ad agencies and application developers will meet to explore the future. he Exhibition will showcase the most innovative technology and solutions in wireless today. This is not a mass market tradeshow, but a focused deal-space for the key players enabling an open mobile ecosystem. Conference attendees will have a unique opportunity to see the latest in open platforms, software and development environments, as well as a range of solutions aimed at facilitating innovation, addressing fragmentation as well as providing means to monetize an open ecosystem. The San Francisco Marriott will be the venue for this year's event. Visit the conference portal for complete speaker and registration details

Cisco Joins the KNX Association For Smart Grid and Smart Connected Building Solutions

2010-10-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

Cisco has become the 200th member of the KNX Association, the creator and owner of KNX technology – the worldwide standard for all applications in home and building control (ISO/IEC 14543). Cisco is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet and develops a wide range of network-based connected building management and energy solutions, including communications infrastructures for the rapidly developing smart metering and smart grid markets. Today's announcement highlights that the KNX protocol will play a major role in the future success of these technologies, and in supporting the development of the smart and connected buildings and communities of the future.

Frank Van Steenwinkel, senior director, Smart+Connected Communities at Cisco, commented: "KNX has emerged globally as one of the key ISO/IEC standards for home and building automation. We can facilitate the convergence between IT and home & building control, helping to move KNX to the next level of network infrastructure. We are therefore proud to collaborate with the KNX Association."

Cisco will help incorporate KNX standards in its network-based solutions, such as Smart Connected Buildings and Cisco's Personal Virtual Office solution, which allows users to reserve an office "on the fly" using Cisco's Unified Communications infrastructure. The Cisco Personal Virtual Office solution also provides integration with the KNX environment to control building systems such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and lighting, and supports personalizing individual offices with Cisco Digital Signage solutions and collaboration tools – in a fully automated environment. Cisco Smart+Connected Communities is a global initiative using the network as the platform to transform physical communities to connected communities, run on networked information to help enable economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Smart Grid Electronics Forum - Preview (October 1-20 in San Jose)

2010-10-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

As a delegate at the Smart Grid Electronics Forum (SGEF '10) you will learn how deployment of the smart grid will change the design of all types of electronic equipment. Coverage will extend from the Smart Meter through the building to the end-use equipment. You will hear about the latest component developments, design techniques, communications protocols, architectures, smart-grid standards, and more. SGEF '10 will serve the needs of design engineers in all segments of the electronics industry including; Communications, Computing/Storage, Consumer, Power Conversion, Automotive, Alternative Energy, Industrial and Medical. Control, Communications and Security will be three of the major themes of the first annual SGEF. The successful deployment of the smart grid will be dependent on numerous technology and standards developments for electronic equipment. For the smart grid to have benefits, it must be able to reliably communicate to the downstream loads and also be able to turn these loads on/off or turn them up/down as appropriate.

Seagate becomes a private equity target - stock soars

2010-10-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

Seagate Technology plc announced that it has received a preliminary indication of interest regarding a going private transaction. The company is in discussions with the party from whom it received the indication of interest, and its board of directors is evaluating the indication of interest and other strategic alternatives. The company has retained Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and Perella Weinberg Partners LP to provide financial advice and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Arthur Cox as legal counsel. There is no assurance that the company will receive a formal offer or that any transaction will take place. Track the stock via CNBC: http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/STX

Yahoo! suitors loom large - AOL, News Corp, Private Equity or all of the above

2010-10-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

Beleaguered Yahoo! is once again the focal point of takeover speculation. Unconfirmed reports indicate that potential suitors include the likes of AOL, News Corp and numerous private equity firms. Yahoo! has apparently hired Goldman Sachs. Here is once such report via the IDG News Service:

"IDG News Service - AOL is exploring the idea of teaming up with a number of investment firms to make a bid on Yahoo, its much-larger Internet rival, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The talks are still in very early stages and do not even involve Yahoo, the Journal reports. Two of the investment firms -- Silver Lake Partners and Blackstone Group -- "have expressed interest in either teaming up with AOL to buy the company or trying to take it private on their own," the report states, citing unnamed sources. If true, it would be the second major attempt to take over Yahoo. Two years ago, Microsoft tried, and failed, to buy Yahoo with an offer valued at over US$40 billion.

Since then, Yahoo has switched CEOs and watched its stock slide. Its market capitalization is now just over $20 billion. Both Yahoo and AOL are looking for ways to compete with fast-growing Internet competitors such as Google and Facebook. The Journal says there are several different buyout scenarios. In one, Yahoo would be chopped up and sold to different companies, including China's Alibaba Group, which would repurchase Yahoo's stake in the company. In another, AOL and Yahoo would merge, after Yahoo's 40 percent share in Alibaba was sold off. The combined AOL/Yahoo could then be taken private, or possibly remain listed as a public company."

While the Yahoo! stock is staging a comeback recently it is well down from the $19 per share of April 2010. Track the stock via CNBC: http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/YHOO/tab/2

Google beats earnings estimates - stock soars $44 in the after hours market

2010-10-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Google announced financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. "Google had an excellent quarter," said Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google. "Our core business grew very well, and our newer businesses -- particularly display and mobile -- continued to show significant momentum. Going forward, we remain committed to aggressive investment in both our people and our products as we pursue an innovation agenda."

Google reported revenues of $7.29 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2010, an increase of 23% compared to the third quarter of 2009. Google reports its revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs (TAC). In the third quarter of 2010, TAC totaled $1.81 billion, or 26% of advertising revenues. The stock is soaring $44/share or 8.13% in immediate after hours trading. Track the stock via CNBC: http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/GOOG