GadgetBlips - Latest Other Gadgets News Articles

S.Korea halves ceiling on text messages to fight spam (AFP)

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:45:14 +0000

AFP - South Korean authorities on Wednesday halved the daily limit on text messages sent out by mobile phones as part of a campaign against spam, officials said.

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Microsoft CFO Liddell Leaving; Replaced By Peter Klein

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:14:19 +0000

Microsoft (MSFT) this afternoon announced that CFO Chris Liddell is leaving the company at the end of 2009, and will be replaced by Peter Klein , who is now CFO of the Microsoft Business Division. Liddell joined the company in May 2005, after serving as CFO at International Paper . In a statement, the company said Liddell “is looking at a number of opportunities that will expand his career beyond being a CFO.” Anyone need a CEO?

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Nvidia Says USPTO Rejects 17 Rambus Patent Claims

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:08:32 +0000

Nvidia (NVDA) this afternoon announced that the a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected all 17 claims in three Rambus (RMBS) patents that had been asserted against Nvidia in a case before the International Trader Commission . The company said the decision, in something called “an action closing prosecution,” follows preliminary rejection of the claims earlier this year by the USPTO. “We believe these patents are invalid and are confident that a similar decision will be made on the patents that continue to be examined,” the company said in a statement. Nvidia said there are still eight claims in two others patents yet to be finally determined, although all were preliminarily rejected. The ITC case involves memory controllers related to graphics processors.

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iPhoto 8.1.1 fixes Faces bug (Macworld.com)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:07:00 +0000

Macworld.com - On Tuesday, Apple released a minor update to its iPhoto â09 () digital photography software. The iPhoto 8.1.1. update deals with face-recognition performance and accuracy (to fix a problem introduced with the 8.1 update), book ordering, and iPod touch support.

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EMC Sets International Reorg; Tranfers $4B From Overseas

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:33:41 +0000

Is EMC (EMC) getting prepared to buy something expensive? In an 8-K filing this afternoon , the company said its board a few days ago approved a plan to reorganize its international operations, transferring certain assets of its RSA and Data Domain units to a single EMC international holding company. In connection with the deal - to me this seems like the important piece of the news - EMC’s international holding company will issue back to EMC about $4 billion in stock and cash. The company said the move is intended to facilitate international expansion, reduce costs, improve efficiency, strengthen operations and - here you go - “position the company for improved business agility in the future.” EMC said that it will take a Q4 charge of about $100 million for the restructuring. The company repeated its previous forecast for Q4 non-GAAP EPS of 30 cents. In short, EMC seems to have figured out a way to repatriate a big chunk of cash from overseas back to the parent ...

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Blue Coat Systems FY Q2 EPS Tops Estimates

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:20:30 +0000

Blue Coat Systems (BCSI) this afternoon posted revenue for its fiscal second quarter ended October 31 of $120.4 million, with non-GAAP profits of 29 cents a share. The Street had been expecting $120.1 million and 26 cents. Earlier this month, the company said it expected revenue to be towards the high end of its previous forecast range of $116 million to $121 million. For FY Q3, Blue Coat sees revenue of $121 million to $126 million, and non-GAAP EPS of 31-36 cents; the Street has been looking for $125 million and 31 cents. In late trading, BCSI is up 53 cents, or 2.1%, to $26.20.

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Microsoft To Unveil New Bing Features

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:08:10 +0000

Microsoft (MSFT) this afternoon has invited reporters to a press event to be held 10 a.m. Pacific time next Wednesday in San Francisco. to “showcase and demo several new Bing features.” Just what they’ll be, I dunno. But if anyone wants to guess what the company’s search engine has planned - or if someone who actually knows wants to provide a leak - I’m all ears.

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Facebook Sets Dual Class Stock Structure; No IPO Plans Just Yet (They Swear!)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:01:32 +0000

Facebook today confirmed that it has created a dual class stock structure, a move that is going to increase speculation on the timing an an eventual IPO for the company. As the Wall Street Journal notes , the company will have Class A and B shares, with all current holders to be converted to Class B shares, with 10 votes each. That sets the stage for CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other early investors to maintain greater control of the company once they eventually sell stock to the public. The Journal notes that Facebook said in a statement that it has adopted a dual-class structure “because existing shareholders wanted to maintain control over voting on certain issues to help ensure the company can continue to focus on the long-term to build a great business.” Facebook said the dual-class structure “should not construed to signal the company is planning to public,” and added that “Facebook has no plans to go public at this time.” Okay, sure, whatever you ...

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Brocade: Canaccord Downgrades To Hold

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:57:56 +0000

Canaccord Adams analyst Paul Masnky today cut his rating on Brocade (BRCD) to Hold from Buy, cutting his price target on the stock to $8.50 from $10. The move comes amid a sell-off in the shares on disappointment with the company results for the fiscal fourth quarter ended October and its outlook for the October 2010 fiscal year. Adding to the pressure, Brocade today also denied previous reports that it had put itself up for sale. “The company is executing at the expense lines and cash-flow is attractive, but we believe the multiple won’t expand amid lackluster top-line performance,” he writes. Mansky says FY 2010 “is looking more back-end loaded,” and appears dependent on the pace of expanded busienss from its OEM relationships, “with a push out of the thesis and some arbitrage money still looking for an exit point, we view the sahres as likely range-bound for 3-6 months.” Brocade today is down 72 cents, or 9.3%, to $7.07.

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Joost Assets Acquired By Adconion Media Group

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:45:30 +0000

Alas, not all Web video sites can be quite as successful as YouTube and Hulu . Adconion Media Group , which describes itself as “the largest independent global audience and content network” this morning announced that it had acquired “certain assets” of the once red-hot Joost , the video site created by the founders of Skype . Terms were not disclosed. I’m guessing it was in the vicinity of “not much.” Adconion said the acquisition will allow it “to provide advertisers, content owners and website publishers with an end-to-end global video platform and cross-channel video and display ad-serving solution.” In May 2007, Joost had announced a $45 million investment round from Index Ventures , Sequoia Capital , Hutchison Whampoa , CBS and Viacom .

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Wedbush Downgrades SAP, Upgrades CRM

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:44:20 +0000

Wedbush analyst Michael Nemeroff this morning made a pair of enterprise software calls, reducing his rating on SAP (SAP) , but turning bullish on Salesforce.com (CRM) . SAP : Nemeroff cut his rating to Underperform from Neutral , with a target price of $49. The analyst says the lower rating reflects “the company’s comparatively weak core business fundamentals,” which he expects to persist for the next few quarters. He thinks that Q4 software revenue estimates could be too high. And he thinks incremental from small on-demand ERP vendors could chip away at the company’s market share and renewal rate among smaller customers. Salesforce.com : The analyst ups his rating to Outperform from Neutral, raising his price target to $74, from $63. The more bullish stance reflects his view that the company’s “strong and stable base of recurring revenue and low and very achievable expectations for growth in FY 2011.” As the economy turns higher, he adds, ...

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EU drops Qualcomm antitrust probe (AP)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:23:18 +0000

AP - European Union antitrust regulators on Tuesday dropped a monopoly abuse probe into wireless chip maker Qualcomm Inc. after mobile phone companies withdrew complaints about high royalty fees.

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National Semi Added To Citi Top Picks List

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:19:35 +0000

National Semiconductor (NSM) shares are trading higher this morning after the stock was added to Citigroup ’s Top Picks Live list. Analyst Terrence Whalen has a price target on the stock of $20, well ahead of yesterday’s close at $13.81. Whalen writes that downside appears limited, given higher exposure to the industrial segment and improving handset activity. He asserts that at 10x calendar 2010 free cash flow, the stock appears “mispriced” ahead of the company’s financial results, which are due December 10. Another positive for the stock: last night’s strong results from rival Analog Devices (ADI) , after similarly strong results from Infineon (IFX) and Maxim (MXIM) . NSM today is up 47 cents, or 3.4%, to $14.28.

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EU parliament backs greater rights for telecoms, Internet users (AFP)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:02:53 +0000

AFP - The European parliament approved Tuesday a major overhaul of EU telecoms law aimed at boosting the rights of European mobile phone and Internet users and protection against access restrictions.

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Yingli Slips As Broadpoint Downgrades

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:58:44 +0000

Yingli Green Energy (YGE) Shares are trading lower this morning after Broadpoint.Amtech analyst John Hardy cut his rating on the stock to Neutral from Buy. Hardy says a beat-and-raise solar earnings season is now finished; with “big guidance for Q1,” he writes, the risk is now that the 2010 first half will disappoint. In particular, he sees risks for Yingli as it gets ready to turn on significant polysilicon manufacturing capacity. “With commercial production expected to begin in Q4, we believe this will likely become an even bigger focus for investors,” he writes. Hardy notes that early cost targets are in line current spot poly pricing at $60/kg, creating risks to margins in the early stages of the project. Hardy also says that the company’s balance sheet “remains an eyesore,” with $389 million in cash against $820 million in debt. But the stock nonetheless trades in line with other solar companies at about 17.5x 2010. He says paying more than ...

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Tellabs: Soleil Upgrades On Valuation

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:41:55 +0000

Tellabs (TLAB) shares are getting a modest lift from Soleil Securities analyst Michael Genovese , who this morning raised his rating on the stock to Buy from Hold, noting that it is more than 25% below his $7.25 price target. Genoves writes in a research note that the stock trades at 0.7x EV/2010 estimated sales, versus an average 1.4x for peers. On a price ex-cash to operating earnings basis the stock is at 10x estimated 2010 results, the cheapest of the companies he covers. “We view this upgrade as more of a short term trading call than a fundamental change in our long-term view of Tellabs,” he writes. TLAB today is up 15 cents, or 2.6%, to $5.86.

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AOL: No Growth Years Through 2014, Analyst Says

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:24:51 +0000

There may be some perfectly good reasons to pick up shares of AOL , which starts trading today on a when-issued basis in advance of its pending spin-off from Time Warner (TWX) . But growth isn’t one of them. Barclays Capital analyst Douglas Anmuth this morning issued a report on the soon-to-be-independent company, which he thinks is fairly valued at $35-$39 a share. That would give the company a market cap of $3.8 billion to $4.2 billion. (For comparison, Yahoo (YHOO) has a market cap of $21.5 billion, with Google (GOOG) at $183.4 billion.) His valuation represents 8-9x 2010 estimates pro forma EPS, and 3-3.5x 2010 EBITDA. Anmuth writes that he expects declining revenue and profits at AOL to continue - with no growth projected in any year through 2014. His model includes 3-year compounded growth of -8% for revenue and -10% for EBITDA. He does say the company should be able to expand margins slightly in 2010, as it cuts staff by a third. And he says the access business should ...

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Apple: Awaiting the Black Friday Sale

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:49:06 +0000

Apple (AAPL) has been e-mailing customers an ad for its annual one-day Black Friday sale, which runs from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, online and in Apple retail stores. No word yet on exactly what will be on sale, although the company on a teaser on its Web site does say that “you’ll find dozens of great iPod, iPhone, and Mac gift ideas — all with free shipping.” So if you were planning to imminently buy a Mac, iPhone or iPod, you might want to wait a few days. Last year , most of the Black Friday price cuts were in the 5%-10% range. Here are some examples of last year’s reductions: 13-inch Macbooks, $101 off. 20-inch iMac, $51 off. 8 GB iPod Nano, $11 off. 8 GB iPod Touch, $21 off. iPod Classic, $21 off.

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More Newspapers Mull Pulling Out Of Google Search

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:30:37 +0000

Following recent discussions between News Corp. (NWS) and Microsoft (MSFT) about a deal which would yank News Corp. publications from the Google (GGOG) search index, other newspaper companies now say they are considering a similar move. Bloomberg reports that MediaNews Group , publisher of the Denver Post , will block Google News when it starts charging readers in Pennsylvania and California for online context next year, CEO Dean Singleton told the wire service in an interview. Early next year, the company will install a “pay wall” on newspapers in Chico, California, and York, Pennsylvania, Singleton said. MediaNews also publishes a number of Bay Area newspapers, including the San Jose Mercury-News and the Oakland Tribune . A.H. Belo (AHC) publisher of the Dallas Morning News , likewise is considering introducing online subscription fees and blocking Google, according Belo EVP James Moroney , publisher of the Dallas paper, Bloomberg reports. But he told ...

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Brocade FY Q4 Results Edge Ests; Outlook Light

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:06:40 +0000

Brocade (BRCD) late Monday posted results for its fiscal fourth quarter ended October 31 that slightly edged Street estimates. Revenue of $521.8 million was a tad ahead of the Street at $521.1 million; non-GAAP EPS of 15 cents a share was two cents ahead of the Street consensus. For the first quarter , the company sees revenue up 4%-5% sequentially, which it said is below normal seasonal growth of 6%-8%. That would imply revenue of $542.6 million to $553.1 million; the Street has been looking for $549 million. For the October 2010 fiscal year, the company sees revenue of $2.25 billion to $2.4 billion, with non-GAAP EPS of 56-61 cents; the Street has been forecasting $2.28 billion and 61 cents. In late trading Monday, BRCD was up 5 cents at $7.85.

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Buffalo Ships USB 3.0 Hard Drive (PC World)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:20:00 +0000

PC World - In spite of rumors that the first USB 3.0 products wouldn't surface until the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Buffalo Technology has beaten all comers to the punch by announcing today it was shipping its new DriveStation HD-HXU3 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 drive.

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Rambus: Antitrust Case Looks Set To Start In January

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:30:17 +0000

Rambus (RMBS) shares are getting a lift after hours from an indication that its antitrust case against the memory chip industry will go forward as scheduled on January 11, 2010. The case, first filed in 2004, alleges that Hynix , Micron (MU) and Samsung “engaged in a concerted and unlawful effort to eliminate competition and stifle innovation in the market for computer memory technology and computer memory chips.” The company said that Judge Richard A. Kramer of the San Francisco Superior Court has issued recommendations that the Rambus case and the Tessera Technologies antitrust case against Hynix be co-ordinated. The company said the judge made clear that he would recommend co-ordination as long it does not delay the start of the Rambus trial now scheduled for January 11. RMBS in late trading is up 49 cents, or 2.9%, to $17.21.

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10 Free Downloads for Your Laptop (PC World)

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:30:00 +0000

PC World - Have a laptop or netbook and want to get more out of it? You're not alone. We've experienced the frustration of trying to keep data or bookmarks on a portable synchronized with those of a desktop PC or other laptops. We've struggled with diminishing battery life. We've needed assistance getting connected at hotspots or staying safe once online. And we've wondered how to take full advantage of USB flash drives.

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Palm Director Dutta Reprotedly To Join Elevation Partners

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:12:10 +0000

Former eBay (EBAY) exec Rajiv Dutta is joining Elevation Partners and will help the firm raise money for a second fund, according to Bloomberg , which cites “a person familiar with the decision.” Dutta is a member of the board at Palm (PALM ), which counts Elevation as by far its largest holder. Elevation already has two Palm board seats. According to the story, Elevation has invested about 75% of its existing $1.9 billion fund. That includes $460 million invested in Palm. In addition to Palm Elevation has investments in Forbes Media , Move Inc . (MOVE) , SDI Media Group and Market Share Partners . In today’s regular session, PALM fell 27 cents, or 2.3%, to $11.47.

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Nuance FY Q4 Revs, EPS Edge Street

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:59:16 +0000

Nuance Communications (NUAN) this afternoon reported non-GAAP revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter ended September 30 of $275.7 million, slightly ahead of the Street at $272.1 million. Non-GAAP EPS of 32 cents beat the Street by 3 cents. In remarks prepared for the voice communications company’s post-earnings conference call and posted on its Web site , Naunce said it expects Q1 non-GAAP revenue of $260 million to $275 million, with non-GAAP EPS of 25-28 cents; the Street has been expecting $269.1 million and 27 cents. For the full fiscal year ending September 2010, the company sees non-GAAP revenue of $1.13 billion to $1.165 billion, with non-GAAP EPS of $1.10-$1.16. The Street has been forecating $1.12 billion and $1.13 a share. In late trading, NUAN is up 25 cents, or 1.8%, to $14.

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AMD To Sell $500M 8.125% Notes; Priced To Yield 10.204%

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:47:41 +0000

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) this afternoon said it agreed to sell $500 million of 8.125% senior notes due 2017 in a private offering. The deal is expected to close November 30. The deal is priced to yield 10.204%, and is expected to provide proceeds of $439 million. The company will use proceeds along with existing cash to purchase its 5.75% convertible senior notes due 2012. The company had previously announced plans for the offering, but had not previously disclosed terms. In late trading, AMD is down 5 cents, at $6.89.

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HP FY Q4 Results, Q1 Outlook In Line With Guidance

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:42:09 +0000

In something of a non-event, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) this afternoon reported results for its fiscal fourth quarter ended October 31 right in line with the pre-announcement the company provided on November 11 . For the quarter, the company posted revenue of $114.6 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $1.14, as HP previously said. Revenue was down 8% year-over-year, or 5% on a constant currency basis. EPS was actually up from $1.03 a year ago, thanks to a spike in operating margin to 11.8% from 10.1%, as the company tightened down on costs. Revenues in the quarter were down 3% in the America, 17% in EMEA and 1% in Asia Pacific. Service revenues were up 8%. But enterprise storage and servers were down 17%, HP Software was down 16% and imaging and printing was down 15%. Personal systems group - PCs - was down 12% in revenue, but up 8% in units. Notebook revenue was down 8%, while desktop was down 16%. For Q1, the company repeated its forecast of revenue of $29.6 billion to $29.9 billion, with ...

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Analog Devices FY Q4 Revs, EPS Top Ests

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:12:39 +0000

Analog Devices (ADI) this afternoon posted better-than-expected results for its fiscal first quarter ended October 31. For the quarter, revenue was $572 million, down 13% from a year ago, but up 16% sequentially, and ahead of the Street at $523.8 million. EPS of 36 cents beat the Street by a dime. For FY Q1 ending in January, the analog chip company sees revenues sequentially flat, which would be above the Street at $532.5 million. ADI sees EPS for the quarter of 36-37 cents, ahead of the Street consensus at 28 cents. The company said it expects automotive and communications sales to be flat sequentially, consumer sales down from Q1. The company expects gross margin for Q1 of 58%-58.5%, up from 56.3% in Q4. The company had posted gross margin of 54.1% in the third quarter, and 61.1% in the year-ago fourth quarter. In late trading, ADI is up 29 cents, or 1%, to $28.23.

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Tech gifts for $100 or less

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:06:02 +0000

No one's going to blame you for keeping holiday gifts minimal this year. But if you want to round out your handmade cards, scarves, pickles and jam with a gadget or gizmo, here are a handful of our $100-and-under favorites.

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First Solar Sells 21 MW Project To NRG Energy

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:14:30 +0000

First Solar (FSLR) this morning said it sold a 21 MW AC solar energy project in Blythe, California, to NRG Energy (NRG ). Terms were not disclosed. First Solar said the project is the largest utility-scale PV solar generation facility in the state, and among the largest in North America. Power from the plant will be sold to Southern California Edison under a 20-year agreement. First Solar will provider operations and maintenance services at the site under a long-term contract. FSLR today is up 61 cents, or 0.5%, to $121.79.

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Rambus Slides On Worries Over USPTO Patent Review

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:22:10 +0000

Rambus (RMBS) shares are trading sharply lower today on concerns about recent developments in an ongoing review of one of the semiconductor IP company’s patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. So, this is an odd situation. Jeff Schreiner, an analyst with Capstone Investments , says the slide in the shares today is connected with the posting online of a document from the USPTO review of the company’s patent #6,697,295. The document is a response from Rambus to a ruling - which seems not to have been reported before - in which the USPTO has decided to go ahead and review claims 1-51 in the patent. Schreiner notes that this case, originally filed by Samsung , has been unfolding since October 2007 and is far from over; he notes that the typical patent review can take 4-6 years. But he notes that Rambus in the posted filing is apparently responding to a USPTO reversal of an earlier decision in which it had upheld the same set of claims in the patent. I’ve got a ...

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"Jail broken" iPhones vulnerable to new virus (Reuters)

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:02:54 +0000

Reuters - Hackers have built a virus that attacks Apple Inc's iPhone by secretly taking control of the devices via their Internet connections, security experts said.

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Google To Acquire Teracent

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:55:28 +0000

Google (GOOG) today in a blog post announced a deal to acquire Teracent , a San Mateo, California, company focused on “intelligent display advertising.” The deal is expected to close this quarter. Terms were not disclosed. The company was funded by New Enterprise Associates . GOOG today is up $12.55, or 2.2%, to $582.54.

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Ciena Confirms It Won Nortel Auction; Holders Not Happy

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:23:52 +0000

Ciena (CIEN) confirmed this morning that it will pay $769 million for the optical networking and carrier Ethernet assets of Nortel ’s Metro Ethernet Networks business. The purchase price will be $530 million in cash plus $239 million in 6% senior convertible notes due 2017. The interest rate on the notes will ratchet up to 8% if the stock price falls below $13.17, Friday’s closing price. (Which it already has, by the way.) Initial conversion rate on the notes is $16.4625 a share. The company said the assets to be acquired generated $1.36 billion in revenue in 2008, and $556 million in revenue in the 2009 first half. Ciena said the deal should be “significantly accretive” to fiscal 2011 results, and that it will offer jobs to at least 2,000 Nortel employees. The deal is expected to close in Q1 2010. As I noted in a post yesterday , Ciena shares had rallied on the theory that it was not going to win the auction for the Nortel assets - and as expected the stock ...

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eBay: S&P Turns Bullish After Skype Sale

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:01:57 +0000

Standard & Poor’s equity analyst Scott Kessler this morning raised his rating on eBay (EBAY) to Buy form Hold, while keeping his $26 price target. The stock closed Friday at $23.46. The company’s sale of a 70% stake in Skype is “good news,” he writes, as eBay now “can better focus on core operations, re-deploy the proceeds to pursue international growth opportunities via organic investment and/or M&A, and move past uncertainties related to now-resolved Skype-related legal matters.” He thinks eBay “will perform well this holiday season,” and contends the stock is “attractively valued.” EBAY today is up 66 cents, or 2.9%, to $23.45.

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New Worm Steals Data From Jailbroken iPhones (NewsFactor)

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:52:45 +0000

NewsFactor - Just two weeks after Apple iPhone users in Australia reported jailbroken iPhones came under siege by attackers, a new version of the iPhone worm is posing a threat. Symantec reports the new worm targets jailbroken iPhones running SSH that are still using the default password. The worm can reportedly steal data stored on the iPhone as well as connect back to the attacker, giving them control of the phone.

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Blockbuster To Combine Share Classes; NYSE Listing At Risk; Reverse Split Ahead?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:31:39 +0000

Blockbuster ( BBI , BBIB ) late Friday announced that it plans to combine its Class A and Class B shares into a single class of common stock. Under the current structure, the A shares have one vote and the B shares have two votes, but otherwise are the same - except for the big gap that has existed in their prices. On Friday, the A shares - BBI - closed at 74 cents, while the B shares - BBIB - closed at 34 cents. There are 122 million A shares outstanding, and about 72 million B shares. The company also said it has been notified by the New York Stock Exchange that it is out of compliance with a listing standard that requires the stock to have a price of at least $1. Blockbuster has six months to bring the stock price above a buck, or it will face delisting. That would suggest a reverse split is almost a sure thing; combining into a single share class would seem to be a step in that direction. No details on how the company will combine the two classes of shares was disclosed. Meanwhile, ...

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Nice Systems Buys Orsus For $22M

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:58:45 +0000

Nice Systems (NICE) this morning said it agreed to acquire Orsus , an Irvine, California-based provider of security management software, for $22 million in cash. The deal is expected to close toward the end of Q4. Nice said it expects the deal to increase non-GAAP revenue by several million dollars in 2010 and to be accretive to non-GAAP EPS in Q4 2010, but to be slightly dilutive on a non-GAAP basis in each of the first three quarters of next year. Investors in privately held Orsus include Infinity-NSF Fund , Cedar Fund , Poalim Ventures and Koor Industries . NICE today is up 41 cents, or 1.4%, to $30.27.

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THQ Jumps; Wedbush Upgrades

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:45:52 +0000

THQ (THQI) shares are sharply higher after Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter this morning lifted his rating on the company to Neutral from Underperform, although with a new target of $6, down from $7. The stock closed Friday at $4.69. “Investors appear to no longer fear imminent bankruptcy, and they appear to accept that THQ faces an uphill challenge to growing its revenues and profits in the future,” he writes in a research note. Pachter points out that “persistent industry sales declines, a cautious retailer environment and overall weak consumer spending have each weighed on THQ,” with the stock down 30% since the end of September. At the same time, he notes that current guidance is reasonable, and that the company recently raised $100 million in a convertible deal, curing bankruptcy concerns. “We think that THQ’s prospects are much improved, and we expect the company to deliver modest operating leverage as its revenues grow,” he writes. But Pachter ...

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THQ Jumps As Wedbush Ups To Neutral

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:45:52 +0000

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Amazon: Merrill Ups Target; Sees Strong Holiday Sales

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:25:23 +0000

Bank of America/Merrill Lynch analyst Justin Post this morning repeated his Buy rating on Amazon.com (AMZN) , lifting his price target on the stock to $140, from $125, and raising estimates. Post now sees 2009 EPS of $2.68, up from $2.63; for 2010 he goes to $3.45, from $3.30; for 2011 he now sees $4.21, up from $4. While conceding that the stock’s valuation is rich at 38x estimated adjusted 2010 EPS - or 47x GAAP EPS - he contends that there is opportunity for further upside to estimates, which should “sustain stock momentum” in the fourth quarter. For the quarter, he now sees revenue of $9.3 billion, up from $8.9 million, with EPS of 76 cents; the Street sees $8.9 billion and 71 cents. “Amazon should continue to outperform retail as consumers increasingly shift online to find savings,” he writes. Post adds that data suggests Amazon’s growth is accelerating. AMZN today is up $2.94, or 2.3%, to $132.56.

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51Job Soars As Q3 Tops Street; CFO Resigns

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:07:08 +0000

51Job (JOBS) , a China-based job recruitment site, this morning posted better-than-expected results for the third quarter. For the quarter, JOBS reported revenue of $32.2 million, exceeding guidance, and ahead of the Street at $29.9 million. EPS of 19 cents per ADS was well ahead of the consensus at 10 cents. For Q4, the company sees revenue of $31.5 million to $33 million, and profits of 17-20 cents per ADS, ahead of the consensus of $29.7 million and 9 cents. JOBS also announced the resigned of Peter Lui as CFO, effective immediately, for personal reasons. While it seeks a replacement, the CFO role will be handled on an interim basis by COO Kathleen Chien , a former CFO of the company. JOBS today is up $2.49, or 15%, to $19.15.

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Tech Data Gains As FY Q3 Tops Street View

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:51:19 +0000

Tech Data (TECD) shares are trading higher after the IT products distributor posted better-than-expected results for its fiscal Q3 ended October 31 . For the quarter, TECD reported revenue of $5.64 billion, down from $6.14 billion a year ago, but ahead of the Street at $5.38 billion. EPS of 84 cents was ahead of the Street at 71 cents. For the fourth quarter, the company said that “assuming the recent signs of improving IT demand continue, combined with the strength of certain foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar,” Q4 sales should be up in the low-to-mid single digit range year over year. TECD today is up $1.14, or 2.7%, to $43.96.

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Drobo offers new data storage device

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:19:46 +0000

The new Drobo S storage device adds a fifth hard-drive slot and an eSATA port and can transfer data up to 50 percent faster than the original Drobo.

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Roku adds more 'channels' of video and other digital content

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:05:36 +0000

Roku's digital video player is getting a new "channel store" from which users can add access to a variety of content, including digital photographs from Flickr and Facebook, Internet radio from Pandora, and Web videos.

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Did Murdoch Just Figure Out How To Save The Newspaper Industry?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:36:12 +0000

News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch just may have stumbled onto a way to save the newspaper business. According to the Wall Street Journal (which like this blog is published by News Corp.), Murdoch has had talked with Microsoft (MSFT) about a deal in which News Corp. would remove its newspaper content from Google ’s (GOOG) search engine, while continuing to include it in Microsoft’s Bing search engine. The story is attributed to “people familiar with the matter.” The story said the talks are in a very early stage, and might not result in a deal; a key issue is the price Microsoft would pay News Corp. to feature its content, which includes not just Barron’s and the Journal, but also the New York Post , the Sun , the Times of London , the Australian and various other publications. Unclear is whether the deal might also include MySpace and Fox television properties. The Financial Times, which broke the story on Sunday , writes that Microsoft has ...

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Laptop becomes reality for Uruguay's schoolchildren (AFP)

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:13:13 +0000

AFP - A laptop is now finding its place alongside a notebook and pen in schoolbags in Uruguay, the first and only country to offer an Internet-connected computers to all public primary school students.

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Wolverton: Suggestions for a tech-happy holidays

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:58:23 +0000

Looking for holiday gift ideas? Tech Files columnist Troy Wolverton has some suggestions for the gadget-hounds in your life. Books for the techies on your list Black Friday deals on social media More personal tech reviews, gift ideas

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Genetic love matches go cheek swab to cheek swab

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:02:49 +0000

Companies say cheek swabs can help pinpoint good match

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Ruby shining on Java, Windows, and Mac OS (InfoWorld)

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:11:03 +0000

InfoWorld - Ruby, the popular open source dynamic language, is making headway not only on Java but also on the Windows and Mac platforms.

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