Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
When do we project the USPTO will make a decision on the patents?
ss9173
Hi YJ,
That youtube video was hilarious! Hope you are doing well. I like the news today, but was surprised at the low volume. Hopefully, volume and the pps will pickup as the week progresses.
Regards,
ss9173
Chip does an excellent job with the presentation at CTIA. He comes across enthusiastic, knowledgeable and credible...a very polished presentation. If you haven't watched the video, I highly suggest that you do!
ss9173
Has this video been posted: "The Future is Now - How to Make it all Mobile" by Neom's Chip Hoffman?
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1305060775
ss9173
JP, Thanks for attending this conference and the superb reporting. However, it is baffling to me that Neom elected to not attend. We appreciate you spreading the word about Neom nevertheless.
Best regards,
ss9173
How do these patents compare to Neom's?
ss9173
Perhaps this is the work of Scott Wamble, Neom's interim CFO, working on cleaning up the financial mess of former CFO David Dodge.
ss9173
JP, Thanks for checking.
Best regards,
ss9173
FWIW, I am attending a New Product Development Workshop this week. One of the subjects covered was the Kano Model. The Kano model classifies product attributes based on how they are perceived by customers as well as the effect of the attributes on customer satisfaction. Since the impact on customer satisfaction is different for each customer requirement, it is important to determine which attributes of a product or service bring more satisfaction than others. The Kano classifications used to capture this information identify which attributes drive customer satisfaction, and indicate where a company should focus to retain market competitiveness. Meeting the customers' basic quality needs provides the foundation for the elimination of dissatisfaction and complaints. Exceeding expectation creates a competitive advantage and leads to innovation.
See this website for more information on the Kano Model - http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c060123a.asp
After discussing the subject, we broke out into 4 teams. The facilitator asked us to do a Kano Model for a cell phone. It was quite interesting how some teams were significantly impacted by the origin of their team members. For example, one team had an attendee from India and another from the U.K. Their list of features that would delight the customer was much more advanced than another team that was made up of primarily attendees from the United States with age well over 40. For example, the team with the attendees from Asia and U.K. included mobile ticketing and mobile coupons on their list of "exciters and delighters". Text messaging for them was a "threshold / basic must have", while the over 40 U.S. team didn't even list text messaging or other more advanced features as a delighter.
My point is this little exercise was just further evidence to me that the U.S. market probably is not ready for Neom's technology yet, while Asia and Europe are.
I am not stating anything that we haven't all said before. Look at DiamondTech's post today and you will see that even in Japan mobile advertising is still not big dollars today - a mere $328 million vs. over $1 billion projected by 2011. It's just further evidence that we are "still early to the dinner table".
ss9173
JP, can you detect any improvements or enhancements with qode 4.2 vs. the previous 4.0?
ss9173
HTJ, Excellent synopsis. Thanks for taking the time to construct this post.
ss9173
I just joined the call. What did I miss so far?
From today's Fort Myers News-Press:
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070722/BUSINESS/707220415/1075
Stock surge bypasses SW Florida
By Tim Engstrom
tengstrom@news-press.com
Originally posted on July 22, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The stock market has been on a steady roll for the first half of 2007, but few of Southwest Florida's publicly traded companies have been able to ride the wave.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index grew more than 6 percent in the first six months of the year and the Dow Jones Industrials and Nasdaq each gained about 7.5 percent. In the same time, however, 10 of the 16 publicly traded companies based here ended June trading lower than six months ago.
And some of those with gains have simply reclaimed ground lost in 2006.
The reasons for the losses and gains are as varied as the companies, which include national players like luxury homebuilder WCI Communities Inc., women's clothing company Chico's FAS Inc., and Source Interlink, a magazine publisher and distributor.
The companies may not be market behemoths like those represented on the Dow, but together they employ more than 49,000 people nationally and represent market capitalization of more than $9.4 billion.
That diversity is reflected throughout Florida and is key to the mixed results, said David Kamm, an investment adviser with Raymond James. Some sectors are moving strongly while others, particularly builders, continue to struggle.
"I think we are still being controlled by the currents and not by the tide," said Kamm, who writes a column for The News-Press. "If you are in a strong current, you are moving well, but otherwise, you may be stuck."
Neomedia Technologies Inc.
Shares of Neomedia Technologies, the Fort Myers-based mobile technology company, have fallen about 20 percent in the first six months after chief executive officer Charles Jensen resigned and the company began paring back to focus on its marketing platform for mobile phones.
In June, NeoMedia appointed William Hoffman as its new chief executive officer.
Hoffman, 45, a senior technology executive with global technology and telecommunications industry experience, took over on June 18.
Hoffman is a former military officer. Prior to joining NeoMedia, he served as CEO of Uniqua Technologies Inc. in Atlanta, a company he co-founded in 2003 with the acquisition of the assets of TIC Enterprises LLC, and the merger of Vectorlink Communications Corp. TIC was a $100 million subsidiary of NUI Corp., and TIC (now Technology Solutions Corp.) is a national leader in sales and marketing of wireless telecom products and services.
In the quarter ended March 31, the company reported a net loss of $11.9 million, or about 2 cents per share. In the same period a year ago, it lost about $1.5 million, or less than 1 cent per share.
ss9173
Ditto! Well said, JP.
I am impressed with our new CEO's qualifications and experience. Seems like he has just what it takes to turn this company around. Hopefully, it will be fun (and profitable for us all) to watch the work of this talented individual.
ss9173
Success622, This is a 5 star post IMO. Thank you for posting the link to Jeff Mould's blog, where he describes his meeting yesterday with Neomedia Management. Although he was careful with what he said, there are definitely some juicy tidbits that we learned here. Below are some excerpts:
* The meeting went excellent and we walked away with not only a renewed excitement in mobile barcode technologies, but a renewed faith in NeoMedia and the ability of the company to deliver.
* First and foremost, there are a couple “outside” factors that are out of NeoMedia’s and Announce Mobile’s control that I can not discuss that are currently inhibiting their ability to deliver
* As I had listed in a comment, the biggest holdup of getting the application to the phones is not with NeoMedia, but with the carriers. This remains true. The qode reader application is for the most part ready to go on over 250 different model phones at this point. The problem is that the carriers have yet to grant their final approval on the application.
* There are some carriers though that are closer then others and we should start seeing movement sooner then later.
* Secondly, the next meeting of MC2 is May 10. There will be more involvement from the carriers at this meeting. Everyone involved is still working on the agenda and excellent progress is being made here.
* As for the universal reader, you will see it sooner then later, just hold on. Gavitec and NeoMedia are actively working on this and there is currently one version in beta testing right now with more to follow shortly. Once testing is complete it will come to market.
* On the EFF front, as I have stated in my previous posts, this is completely nonsense. A good patent attorney that completes a thorough review of the patents AND the complaint specifically will tell you the same.
* ...things are back on track and the direction and drive of the current business model is solely focused on taking the mobile barcode market to the next level.
* There are customers and opportunities in the pipe and some actively being worked. Again, I am not at liberty to discuss these.
* NeoMedia will be moving their headquarters. This is for several reasons. First, the primary reason is that the Lee County Court System has purchased the building they are currently in and are slowly taking over the entire building (they kicked the bank out that was on the first floor). So NeoMedia will have to move when their lease is up.
ss9173
I think I must have my own following LOL. I created the bottom when I sold at .042. Now people are jumping in with my buy this morning. I must have more pull than I thought...LOL.
ss9173
Jonesieatl, Would you consider the chart to be signaling a breakout? If not, at what point would you consider it signaling a breakout?
ss9173
FWIW, I am going to step back into the water again and purchase 100,000 shares this morning. I was pleased to see that the NY Times article buffered the impact of the poor financials of the 10K. Overall, the CC was well received by those that post here. So, I'll take a baby step this morning...see how it goes over the next week, and decide if I want to start increasing my holdings to the levels I once held as the year progresses.
ss9173
Thanks everyone for the cc notes. I was in a meeting, and didn't get a chance to listen in. Like any good turnaround story, you've got to stop the bleeding (which they are well on their way to doing so), put the past behind them and move forward with executing a great and flawless business plan. Judging by the tone of most posters and the pps staying about the same to slightly positive, it seems that most are encouraged that the future will be brighter. I am looking forward to 2008 and beyond.
ss9173
The late 10K filing always makes the market nervous. Although cash burn rate has been significantly reduced, I expect a large loss to be reported. I think the market wants to see Neom's financial condition before rewarding it. The Qualcomm BREW PR is a major milestone, but the market doesn't yet understand what the future revenue stream will be for this capability. When Neom's financial condition can be judged secure, and future PR's start projecting significant revenue growth potential, the pps will start to go up again. JMHO.
ss9173
JP, This BREW showcase announcement is an exciting development. I will be monitoring closely...
ss9173
OT lesnshawn, please send me an email at ss9173@yahoo.com so we can discuss things off-line.
Thanks,
ss9173
The sell order was completely filled as of 10:52 AM
ss9173
Jonesieatl, I don't have any pull with the MMs LOL. Yesterday 305,000 shares were filled at .042 with the last trade at 10:46 AM. So far this morning another 535,000 shares have been filled at .042. The last trade was 10,000 shares at 10:09 AM EST. Total of 840,000 shares sold so far
ss9173
In4it, I know I don't have to explain my decision to you or anyone else on why I am selling now. But because I have been a shareholder for 3+ years, a member of this board since August 2004, and have had the privilege of serving this board as Assistant Moderator, and perhaps - more importantly - because I have made many friendships on this board, I would like to give you all a little more insight into my decision.
Let me start with 2 disclaimers right off. First of all, I have no hidden agenda to get more of you to sell. Quite the contrary actually. I would like nothing more than Neom to announce some major news that would send the stock price soaring. I just think the probability of that type of news happening in the short-term is remote. Secondly, all of my views expressed below are strictly my opinions. Some of my assumptions may or may not come to fruition. So do your own DD before making any decisions regarding your Neom investment.
OK...so here goes my rationale for selling now:
1) I did attend the last SHM. See my post http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=11808482 I knew full well even then that Neom had its work cut out for them to be successful. Just read my last paragraph again where I stated "I think if you have a relatively long time horizon for this investment, you will do just fine. However, if your investment time horizon is relatively short (say less than 6 months), the risk of pps decline or stagnation for the near-term is potentially an issue as we wait for increased revenues in the face of further dilution. Nearly 9 months later we now know that all those acquisitions has cost Neom and us shareholders dearly. Neom's first big mistake was not including a floor in the top-off agreements with the subs. What a HUGE mistake! The only jewel in all that debacle was Gavitec - I am very pleased we are keeping them in the fold.
2) Word on the street is that 12snap is playing hard ball. My guess is that Neom will end up on the short end of the stick again, and when that news hits, the market may not treat it kindly.
3) I believe it is obvious we are having trouble selling AutoXperience. There have been no good PR's on this division as of late so I am guessing we will not be able to sell it for anywhere near what we were hoping for. Moreover, we have had to continue to support this failing division so its impact on the upcoming 10K filing will be negative.
4) The recent Scanbuy announcements with Nokia and DuPont are very disturbing to me. What irks me most is that instead of Neom trying to become the Mobile Marketing SuperCompany, we should have been more focused on getting qode embraced by these 2 companies. Furthermore, I believe we are in the midst of trying to reach a settlement with Scanbuy rather than continuing the long drawn out litigation process. If a settlement is reached, how will the market perceive it? Will Neom be smart enough to structure a settlement with favorable terms that include significant upfront cash payment as well as continued cash payments for at least 10 years and/or significant royalty payments as well. I hope our new Management team does this one right! If they do, this is the one potential short-term announcement that could have a positive impact to the pps provided they can clearly show the market the $$ now and in the future.
5) While none of us can be sure, my gut feeling is that that our near-term sales pipeline is not very good. I think there could be some good licensing announcements forthcoming but not necessarily a lot of revenues materializing in the short-term. Therefore, I don't expect any of these possible developments to significantly impact the pps in the next 90 days.
6) Neom will be filing its 10K report soon. Last year they filed it on March 30th. I believe that there will be no significant positive news in this filing. Hence, the pps could suffer further decline as a result.
7) Prior to August 2006, I owned 1.6 million shares. I sold about 500,000 shares during late August at $0.15/share because I was concerned about the ever increasing dilution. The share price was dropping quickly after the SHM and I wanted to go ahead and cash in on shares that I had purchased with a $0.06/share cost average. So I made over 2X on that transaction. In hindsight I wish I had sold more then. But I didn't because I continued to believe in Neom's tech and that Management would fulfill its vision. How wrong I was! Oh well, live and learn.
8) While my expertise is definitely not chart technical analysis, I do believe that the current chart is one that shows that there is no bottom in sight. That worries me a lot. In other words, my risk tolerance has been reached right now. I just can't let over 1.1 million shares potentially drop in value from $48K+ to some much lower number. Again, I hope I am wrong about all of this. But my gut feeling is that the pps could continue to decline a lot more. The balance of the stock market is doing relatively well. I just wanted to go ahead and put this $48K+ in some other more conservative big board stocks for now.
9) While I am pleased that we have Roger Pavane and George O'Leary on board, I am concerned that we still have CF as interim CEO. And we still have the former members of the BOD who let last year's debacle happen. I am hopeful that the Letter to Shareholders PR will come to fruition by 2008 or sooner. But right now, I am somewhat concerned that I am not really sure who is calling the shots: Is it Chas, George, Roger, JJ Keil, Cornell or all of them? IMO, you can't have multiple leaders to right this ship. Neom clearly needs one person driving the much needed changes. So the present organizational structure is a big question mark for me, and will remain so, until either I see some tangible evidence the turnaround plan is producing results or we get an announcement of a permanent CEO to replace Chas.
10) Supposedly, there will be no more fluff PRs. That means there will be less PRs but hopefully they will have more material substance. However, I must say that I was not impressed with today's PR as it failed to give any indication of the financial impact and I didn't feel that it was written all that well either.
9) As I said previously, I do believe in Neom's tech. I am excited about the potential of MC2. I am still hopeful that a NewsCorp or a QualComm could do a buyout or take an equity stake in Neom. I am hopeful that we will prevail in the Scanbuy litigation. I like that Neom's new philosophy is to under promise and over deliver. Hopefully they will do exactly that. But right now I see little to help the pps in the short-term, I see a chart that looks terrible with no bottom in sight, and I just feel that there is high potential for the pps to fall substantially below its present level. So I just feel it is prudent for my given situation to go ahead and cash out of Neom for now, put that money elsewhere, and when Neom starts to announce one or more major deals and the pps responds back to an uptrend, I would then consider reinvesting in Neom at that point - presumably at a lower pps than now.
One more factor is that my work schedule has been and will continue to be very demanding for the balance of this year. In addition, I have started a new web based business, which is keeping me busy late at night and on the weekends. It is called Tropical Treasure House - http://www.tropicaltreasurehouse.com . What little time is left is devoted to family time - my lovely wife, a precious 10 year old daughter, a golden retriever, 2 cats and ailing parents.
Regardless, I will find a way to continue to monitor and contribute to this board but with lesser involvement. As long as Koko wants me to do so, I will continue as an Assistant Moderator - mainly moderating and contributing in the early morning hours before work and some time in the evenings after work.
In summary, many of you may not agree with my rationale, and that is fine. I am not looking for you to agree with it. Each of us has our own personal situations and level of risk tolerance. I reached mine Saturday morning while reflecting on Neom. While you may not agree with me, I only hope that you will respect my decision to sell the majority of my holdings at this point in time.
I look forward to better times ahead - probably late 2007 or next year and beyond.
Best regards to all of you,
ss9173
In4it, why does it disturb you? Each of us has our own level of risk tolerance. Mine was reached. My post was not to persuade anyone else to sell. I just felt obligated to give this board a heads up on my decision.
ss9173
Jonesieatl, There does not appear to be any bottom in sight. For that reason, I have put a sell limit order for over 1.1 million shares at .042. About 300,000 shares have been filled so far this morning. Once the balance are filled, I will have about 50,000 shares of Neom left.
Of course, there is also no guarantee that my .042 sell limit will be completely filled…and I may have to decide whether to chase it or hope that it will bounce back to that level temporarily to allow it to be filled.
I still believe in the tech. I do think Neom can bounce back in 2008 and beyond. But I just feel the risk of the pps still falling is too high at present. I will buy back in at some point in the future presumed to be at a lower price than now when Neom announces a major revenue producing deal and the pps correspondingly shows a positive uptrend again.
I will also still monitor and contribute to this board with DD and opinions - just not with the same level of involvement as once before.
ss9173
Personalizit, I agree...I wish that PR would have had answers to those questions.
I do like this quote from Roger Pavane though: "The use of qode® at the Mexican Tennis Open represents two significant milestones for our product," said Roger Pavane, NeoMedia's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales. "The first is the emergence of qode® in Mexico; the second is qode®'s debut at a world-class sporting event."
ss9173
Woogerbear, Finally you have come down to earth from grandiose predictions. You're absolutely correct...Las Vegas is a long, long way off. I will be happy if we can ever make it back to a quarter. A dollar seems so very, very far away right now.
ss9173
YJ, Excellent find! EOM
The March of the Smartphones
By Andrew K. Burger
TechNewsWorld
02/10/07 1:30 AM PT
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/55689.html
As technological innovation pushes "smart" mobile devices to support all available media types and the underlying protocols, U.S.-based mobile telcos have reluctantly begun opening their networks to content from third-party distributors and aggregators. The integration of media on smartphones has shaken and revitalized what was a somewhat moribund industry.
2006 was a pivotal year for the smartphone industry, with significant technological developments and changes in industry practices and operation.
Handset manufacturers continued to accessorize the smartphone and churned out a seemingly limitless variety of models and styles, showing off cutting edge advances such as the delivery of text and multimedia content over wireless -- as well as wired -- Internet and cellular networks.
Single Device, Multiple Connections
In the U.S., mobile telcos have grudgingly begun opening their networks to content from third-party distributors and aggregators.
Standards and protocols have or are being hashed out for mobile Internet connectivity -- including the IEEE's WLAN 802.11n and WWAN 802.16, or WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), and the cellular industry's HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access). Developers are using any and all techniques to find sustainable markets as the convergence of digital media and distribution platforms continues.
"People don't want to carry several devices, each with its own purpose," Glenn Fleischmann, a long-time industry observer, wireless tech expert and journalist, told TechNewsWorld.
"Smartphones seem poised to fulfill the promise of having a single device with multiple network connections that can place voice calls anywhere, view media and store media, as well as run third-party programs that might be needed. RIM's (Research In Motion) Pearl BlackBerry shows that even they realize that integrating media into a smartphone is a smart move," he said.
All Shook Up
The open standards, open platform model of software and hardware development is proving successful in the mobile telecom sector, especially for smaller, new market entrants looking to leverage new technology and apply it in innovative ways.
The process has shaken and revitalized what was a somewhat moribund industry.
Mobile operating systems (OS) and software developer Symbian has thrived in this environment by adopting an open, cooperative business model. The company on Nov. 16 announced that 100 million Symbian smartphones have been shipped to more than 250 network operators worldwide since it was formed in 1998.
Aiming to reduce the amount of time and effort required to migrate desktop and server components and mobile applications from other platforms on to Symbian OS, the company introduced POSIX libraries on Symbian OS (PIPS) at the official opening of its Beijing, China office on Jan. 16.
PIPS will enable C programmers to more easily migrate existing commercial and open source middleware and applications to Symbian OS, providing standard POSIX C APIs that have been packaged into industry standard libraries, according to the company.
"PIPS is part of Symbian's ongoing investment to enhance the development experience on Symbian OS," said Bruce Carney, Symbian's head of developer marketing .
"Native Symbian C++ continues to offer the richest set of APIs for smartphone functionality, with Symbian also enabling familiar frameworks, virtual machines and runtime environments such as POSIX, Crossfire, Java, Python, Flash and OPL to help move any developer onto the market's leading and richest mobile OS," Carney added. "In addition, the market momentum for smartphones is growing quickly, making it even more attractive to move to mobile and Symbian OS."
"The smartphone market is entering a new era of lower cost, higher volume devices," said Andy Brown, mobile devices specialist at IDC.
Brown forecasts that cumulative smartphone sales will surpass 1 billion units by 2011, adding that, "The smartphone segment of the handset market is seeing strong annual growth and is expected to rise from 57 million units in 2005 to around 250 million units by the end of 2010. The advent of single-chip designs will inevitably attract a growing number of licensees and drive greater penetration into the midmarket," Brown said.
High Hurdles
Gaining access to the major mobile telco network operators' networks in the U.S. has been a high hurdle that pioneering content providers, distributors and aggregators have had to overcome. However, they have been making headway particularly in 2006.
"In general, the 'access to carrier' issue is starting to become less of an issue as we grow, and our ability to work with carriers is proven," Tim Mitchell, vice president of marketing for IODA (International Online Distribution Alliance) told TechNewsWorld.
"Now, the real challenge is to drive marketing efforts that will not only help our partners surface relevant content, but also drive demand through the mobile channel for foreign and/or lesser-known artists. If we can accomplish this, even on a small scale, we believe it will be a big win for independents, the operators, and their customers," noted Mitchell.
"The mobile industry is maturing in that the major players are beginning to recognize the importance of embracing innovative companies, rather than allowing them to become disruptive elements that would have a negative effect on their businesses," mVisible Technologies' cofounder and CTO Myk Willis told TechNewsWorld.
Off-Deck on the Rise
Increasingly, carriers will allow easier access to their mobile networks in order to move "off-deck" content from outside sources, as well as content other than that offered by major producers and distributors.
"I expect that 2007 will be the year that marks a giant advancement in off-deck content," Alfredo Narez, vice president at Air2Web, told TechNewsWorld. "Publishers, brands, enterprises, and marketers alike have started to see critical mass in the campaigns that they have put together over the last couple of years and are ready to take advantage of the advancements in mobile technology.
"The environment has definitely changed for the better," Narez continued. "Off-Deck is now a model that can be openly discussed with all of the major providers in the U.S. Some providers are still more aggressive and open to embrace off-deck than others, but it is ultimately becoming a more open environment.
"In addition, the growth in cross-channel marketing campaigns is making the non-premium or off-deck mobile interaction far more valuable for the end-user," he noted.
A word of caution is in order, Narez warned. "It does not mean that third-party content providers are free to create their own content rules. They are still subject to the same guidelines that the industry has worked diligently to create."
Guidelines for the U.S. market are best represented by the MMA (Mobile Marketing Association), he added.
"Carriers are recognizing that they cannot even begin to satisfy the desire of their customers for a variety of non-mainstream content and services," added mVisible's Willis. "Witness the recent decision by Verizon (NYSE: VZ) to allow MyxerTones to sell binary content on their network.
"Previously, the only binary content available on Verizon was content that Verizon had specifically 'programmed' themselves, creating an environment where consumer choice was extremely limited, thereby throttling consumption," Willis added.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ss9173
If there was a Scanbuy settlement in the works, why wouldn't it have been mentioned in the Letter to Shareholders?
ss9173
OT Jonesieatl, Ditto to Success622's sentiments. I wish your daughter a speedy recovery.
ss9173
clare-the-bear, I talk with Koko frequently. He has never mentioned selling a single share of Neom to me. He is on business travel this weekend so I am not sure that he will be able to respond to this accusaton in a timely manner. As far as I know, it is totally untrue!
ss9173
I am right here lemonhead1de. I have been incredibly busy with my full-time job since the beginning of the year. I am still holding over a million shares...waiting for Neom's new management to turn things around. I also get tired of all the nonsense on this board so I haven't been posting much lately. Plus there really isn't much to comment on until we get some meaningful PR's on selling AutoX and the rest of the subs (except Gavitec - which was good news indeed that we came to terms with them). I am expecting a Letter to Shareholders to be issued next week, and that will give us something meaningful to talk about again. Until then or some other significant development, I'll be staying put on the sidelines for now.
Best regards to you and all other longs,
ss9173
P.S. Go Bears!!!
Streetstylz, nice work on the board header. It's a much needed and big improvement!
Thanks,
ss9173
You can now order the Prentice Hall textbook at a discount via the Neomedia website per the attached link:
http://vig.pearsoned.com/store/home/1,1205,store-18420_id-2,00.html
(link is accessed via Neomedia "In the News": http://www.neom.com/news/index.jsp )
ss9173
More OT DD Yahoo Upgrades Mobile Service
by Mark Walsh, Tuesday, Jan 9, 2007 6:00 AM ET
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=5356...
AIMING TO GAIN THE EARLY advantage in mobile search, Yahoo Monday unveiled a new service designed to give users faster, more specific answers to cell phone queries. The oneSearch software is part of a revamped version of Yahoo's Go for Mobile service that also includes applications for e-mail, local directory information and photo-sharing.
Tailored to the mobile screen, oneSearch aims to reduce the number of clicks consumers have to make to find information. Entering a simple query such as a team name will bring up the score of its latest game along with a team schedule, photos and related articles so users don't have to jump around to different sites.
The new application also includes features to help streamline search such as the ability to remember previous queries and auto-fill technology to speed up entry of common terms. To boost distribution, Yahoo also announced that the latest mobile version of Yahoo Go will be included in various devices made by Motorola, Nokia and Samsung Electronics and Research in Motion.
Search and search monetization are two of the most important areas of focus for Yahoo in the mobile realm, according to Ojas Rege, the company's senior director of global mobile products. "Search on the mobile phone is going to be extremely important because it's one of the few front doors to the Internet," he said. In addition to sponsored listings at the top and bottom of mobile search results, Yahoo plans to also start offering display ads for oneSearch during the first quarter. Although Rege wouldn't provide details on this effort, he said Yahoo is spending a lot of time educating existing advertisers about mobile marketing. "They're anxious and eager to give it a shot," he said.
Yahoo is hardly alone in its quest to conquer the mobile search market. Medio Systems Monday announced a partnership to supply its white-label mobile search to T-Mobile, after completing a similar deal with Verizon last year. Google, meanwhile, has struck a deal with Samsung to include applications including search, Google Maps and Gmail on certain of the handset maker's phones. And mobile software startup 4Info announced that its "one-click" search service was now available via mobile Web browser as well as through text-messaging.
Driving these companies' mobile ambitions is the huge installed base of wireless customers, amounting to approximately 200 million in the United States alone. While mobile search is still in its infancy, Internet and wireless companies envision big market potential based on the success of paid search listings online.
Eclipsed by Google in traditional Web search, Yahoo still has a chance to win the mobile fight. "Yahoo has an opportunity to establish a leadership position in mobile that would help the brand overall and have some beneficial aspects for the desktop as well, said Greg Sterling, principal at Sterling Marketing Intelligence. He added that if Yahoo's oneSearch gains traction, it will build on its suite of mobile applications that link to the company's existing desktop services.
Likewise, William Ho, a senior analyst at market research firm Current Analysis, said that so far Yahoo has done a better job than Google of packaging its Web services for the mobile platform. But having to download the Yahoo Go software remains a barrier to faster adoption of the service by mobile users. Ho said Yahoo will need to forge more deals to have its mobile software pre-installed in handsets or featured on carrier decks to gain critical mass in the United States.
The major carriers have generally been reluctant to tie up with the likes of Google and Yahoo for search, opting to partner with white-label services such as Medio and JumpTap. But that may be starting to change as Sprint Nextel in November signed a comprehensive agreement with Microsoft to provide search on its mobile network.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ss9173
OT DD Yahoo Ups the Mobile Ante
› › › ClickZ News
By Kate Kaye | January 9, 2007
http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3624448
Yahoo is counting on user adoption of its new mobile search and content platform to boost ad inventory and create broader mobile reach for advertisers. Along with promoting the new Yahoo Go for Mobile 2.0 application to its huge online audience, the publisher hopes pre-bundling of the app on devices from Samsung and Motorola will also grow market share. The publisher's new wireless search service has also been designed to speed up information gathering for users in the hopes of boosting usage.
"With Go 2.0, we're now going to be able to grow the client [application] inventory," said Yahoo Senior Director of Global Mobile Products Ojas Rege. The company will now offer display ads targeted based on content and behavioral data, or targeted to specific carriers. No new advertisers are running ads in conjunction with the platform launch, Rege added, mentioning Pepsi as a recent mobile advertiser.
Yahoo will also continue selling sponsored mobile text listings, now through its oneSearch service, which will be the default search technology for the new platform as well as its other mobile Web and SMS services. Rather than listing Web links to traditional sites, the search service offers up category-specific data based on keyword searches. The content platform, now in beta, allows users to toggle from one content-specific area to another, accessing customized information and RSS feeds, and providing search results relevant to that category.
"The mobile search experience has to be completely different than the PC search experience," said Rege.
Indeed, recognizing the need to provide quick bits of information with minimal click-through, the new search service provides users who enter terms like "Broncos" or "Beyonce" with data on sports scores or celebrity break-ups instead of just links to sports or entertainment news sites.
"Applications like [Yahoo's] make mobile content easier to find," said Christine Overby, principal analyst at Forrester Research. "One of the reasons we find a dearth of [mobile ad] campaigns in the U.S. is it's so difficult for consumers to find things either on their phone or their network."
According to a mobile marketing paper published by Forrester last month, 11 percent of U.S. mobile consumers use the mobile Internet.
Go 2.0's segments content areas into categories including News, Sports, Finance and Entertainment. The Local section offers city guides and rated business listings, along with local news, weather and traffic. In addition to e-mail and SMS messaging, the platform also integrates Flickr, Yahoo's photo-sharing and management service, allowing users to tag and post photos from their phones to their Flickr accounts.
Besides promoting the mobile services to its Web audience, Yahoo has set up several distribution partnerships. Samsung will pre-load the new search service and content platform on mobile phones around the world, and Motorola will pre-install the Go 2.0 application in its mobile devices this year. Yahoo has also extended its relationships with Nokia and Blackberry maker Research In Motion, making the platform available to Blackberry and Nokia device users in 2007. In addition, oneSearch will be the exclusive search provider for Opera mobile browsers.
Mobile Marketing Association Executive Director Laura Marriott likens the approach to Microsoft's software distribution partnerships. The relationships "might help drive early adoption" by users, she added.
Yahoo also aims to derive revenue from its mobile offerings through alignments like the one it announced late last year with Vodafone; the U.K. wireless carrier is using Yahoo as its exclusive mobile display ad provider.
Samsung and Yahoo rival Google are also pairing up to promote Google mobile applications in Samsung phones this year. Selected handsets will include Google Maps and Gmail applications, and enable easy access to Google search. Google offers a mobile version of its AdWords text link ads.
When it comes to mobile advertising, "It's still too early to give a clear advantage to any one company, even a company with a brand as strong as Yahoo," said Forrester's Overby.
Lee Hancock, founder and CEO of mobile content provider go2, takes the increasingly competitive state of his industry as a promising sign. "I think the competition is very healthy….It will ultimately result in enhanced content to end users because the advertising business model will encourage a lot of competition in the marketplace," he said.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ss9173
Let's revisit some of the recent Neomedia press releases dealing only with the restructuring and financing of the business in chronological order:
August 30, 2006: NeoMedia Secures $5 Million in Financing
http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2006/20060830A.jsp
August 30, 2006: NeoMedia Terminates Agreement to Acquire HipCricket
http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2006/20060830B.jsp
August 31, 2006: NeoMedia Signs LOI to Sell Micro Paint Repair Business Unit
http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2006/20060831.jsp
November 16, 2006: NeoMedia Revises its Mobile Marketing Strategy, Announces Sale of its Recently Acquired UK Subsidiary
http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2006/20061116.jsp
December 7, 2006: NeoMedia Sells Mobot and Retains Minority Stake
http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2006/20061207.jsp
December 12, 2006: NeoMedia Announces Resignation of President and CEO
http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2006/20061212.jsp
December 22, 2006: NeoMedia Repositions Mobile Division for 2007
http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2006/20061222.jsp
January 8, 2007: Prentice Hall to Use NeoMedia's qode to Link to Sales Force via Cell Phones; NeoMedia Completes $2.5 Million Funding Agreement with Cornell Capital
http://www.neom.com/press_releases/2007/20070108.jsp
What is behind all of these changes? I would bet Neom or Cornell has contracted with a very credible turnaround specialist since the August 2006 time frame. What is a turnaround specialist? See this link from the Turnaround Management Association: http://www.turnaround.org/about/corporate.asp
Corporate renewal industry overview
Until recently, turnaround specialists were a relatively unknown breed in the business world. However, as once-stable companies struggle to maintain profitability, the expertise of corporate renewal professionals is more in demand than ever. Rising competition, cyclical financial markets and economic volatility have created a climate where no business can take economic stability for granted.
Many companies have turned to downsizing to improve their economic health. However, downsizing has taken its toll on corporations by robbing them of management talents. The ranks of managers groomed to assume top positions have been thinned. In addition, the volatile business environment has turned once-successful CEOs into hesitant managers who are no longer able to provide strong leadership.
New lender liability laws have also increased the need for turnaround management. At one time, banks could take control of client companies in serious financial peril. Today the courts view this action as equity participation, forcing banks to avoid direct involvement with corporate management. A turnaround specialist, operating as either an interim manager or consultant, may replace a company's CEO and temporarily take over the decision-making process of a company to lead it back toward stability. Or, the turnaround professional may become an active advisor to the troubled company's board of directors.
Advantages of a turnaround professional
The turnaround specialist enters a company with a fresh eye and complete objectivity. This professional is able to spot problems and create new solutions that may not be visible to company insiders.
The turnaround manager has no political agenda or other obligation to bias the decision-making process, allowing him or her to take the sometimes unpopular, yet necessary steps for survival.
Experience within a particular industry is not as important as experience in crisis situations when a company is facing bankruptcy or the loss of millions in revenue. Like an emergency room doctor, the talent lies in making critical decisions quickly to staunch the bleeding to give the patient the best chance for recovery.
Operating in the eye of the storm, the turnaround specialist must deal equitably with angry creditors, frightened employees, wary customers and a nervous board of directors. With the highest stakes on the table, clearly this is no assignment for the faint-hearted.
Signs of a troubled business
Executives who run into corporate troubles often go through the same processes that dying people do: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and then finally acceptance. The last stage is when corporations hire turnaround professionals, unless forced to do so earlier by a lender, equity sponsor, or bankruptcy court.
Corporate managers who recognize and acknowledge the signs of trouble and get help in the earlier stages have a much better chance of a successful recovery for their corporation.
Most businesses in distress will display more than one of these common signs of trouble:
Ineffective management style
The president and founder of a company is unable to delegate authority. No decision, big or small, can be made without his or her blessing. As a result, the rest of the management staff is without solid experience or any feeling of ownership. Dishonesty or fraud may exist. The board of directors is nonparticipative and ineffective. If the president suddenly becomes incapacitated or dies, the entire company is in danger of collapse.
Overdiversification
The business has yielded to pressure to diversify to reduce risk. However, too much diversification causes it to spread too thin. As a result, the business becomes vulnerable to the competition.
Weak financial function
The company with its excessive debt and inadequate capital is operating with little or no margin for error. Its credit is overextended and fixed assets and inventories are excessive.
Poor lender relationships
Its weak financial position has led to the company developing an adversarial relationship with its lending institution. Fearing that its loan may be in jeopardy, the company tries to hide financial information from the bank. Phone calls are not returned. Reports stop being filed. Since money is the lifeblood of most any business, this kind of lender relationship only leads to more trouble.
Lack of operating controls
The company is operating without adequate reporting mechanisms. This is like flying an airplane without an instrument control panel. Management decisions based on old or inaccurate information can head the company in the wrong direction.
Market lag
Changes in the marketplace have bypassed the company, leaving it with sagging sales and lost market share. For some, the deficiency is technology; their equipment or products and services have become obsolete. For others, the problem lies in sales and marketing; the company hasn't kept pace with the needs of the marketplace.
Explosive growth
The business is growing rapidly. A business that is a success at $5 million in sales a year can become a dismal failure at $10 million. Companies achieving fast growth from concentrating on boosting sales overlook the effects of growth on the balance sheet. Growth often carries a very high price tag from significant investments in R&D. Leveraging a company to such a degree means that management must operate with little or no margin for error.
In addition, growth has led to overrunning the people capacity. Staff is not able to work successfully at the new level. For example, managing engineering operations for a company with 12 plants is much different than managing one with two plants. The same challenge applies to others in key positions in marketing, sales, operations and manufacturing. A company can grow beyond its ability to manage.
Precarious customer base
The business relies on a few big customers for most of its sales. If a manufacturer selling to large retail chains has two customers representing 60% of its business, the company is obviously vulnerable. The loss of just one customer could put hundreds out of work and send the business into bankruptcy.
Family vs. business matters
Family issues are causing decisions to be made based on emotions, rather than sound business judgment. Sibling rivalry has ruined many privately-held companies. Deciding which relative should run the business after the founder's retirement or death can be one of the most difficult challenges a business can face. Divorce can also shatter a business, leaving it in fragments. Nepotism can cause bright, skillful managers who aren't part of the family circle to take their talents elsewhere.
Operating without a business plan
The growing company is operating without a business plan. Armed with 15 or 20 years in the business, management often operates by the seat of its pants. Its plan may change overnight because the plan is based on management's own "feel" for the market. In some cases the business plan exists in everyone's head rather than in writing. The result is that plans are carried out according to individual interpretation.
Stages of a turnaround
Stage One : Changing the management
Most CEOs or company presidents don't relinquish power easily. Often their egos make it hard for them to admit such a downturn is really happening or that they are unable to pull the company out of its nosedive. So, usually the first step is to put into place the top management team who will lead the turnaround effort. In many instances, the board of directors selects and hires the turnaround specialist, although others such as bankers and corporate attorneys may also be involved. As an outsider rather than a corporate insider, the turnaround specialist enters the company carrying no political baggage.
During this stage or after Stage Two—situation analysis—steps are taken to weed out or replace any top managers, which may include the CEO, CFO or weak board members, who might impede the effort.
Stage Two : Analyzing the situation
Before a turnaround specialist makes any major changes, he or she must determine the chances of the business's survival, identify appropriate strategies and develop a preliminary action plan.
This means the first days are spent fact-finding and diagnosing the scope and severity of the company's ills. Is it in imminent danger of failure? Does it have substantial losses but its survival is not yet threatened? Or is it merely in a declining business position? The first three requirements for viability are analyzed: one or more viable core businesses, adequate bridge financing and adequate organizational resources. A more detailed assessment of strengths and weaknesses follows in the areas of competitive position, engineering and R&D, finances, marketing, operations, organizational structure and personnel.
In the meantime, the turnaround professional must deal with various groups. The first is angry creditors who may have been kept in the dark about the company's financial status. Employees are confused and frightened. Customers, vendors and suppliers are wary about the future of the firm. The turnaround specialist must be open and frank with all these audiences.
Once the major problems are spotted and identified, the turnaround professional develops a strategic plan with specific goals and detailed functional actions. He or she must then sell it to all key parties in the company, including the board of directors, management team and employees. Presenting the plan to key parties outside the company—bankers, major creditors and vendors—should regain their confidence.
Stage Three : Implementing an emergency action plan
When the condition of the company is critical, the plan is simple but drastic. Emergency surgery is performed to stop the bleeding and enable the organization to survive. At this time emotions run high; employees are laid off or entire departments eliminated. After sizing up the situation objectively, the skilled turnaround leader makes these cuts swiftly.
Cash is the lifeblood of the business. A positive operating cash flow must be established as quickly as possible and enough cash to implement the turnaround strategies must be raised. Often, unprofitable divisions or business units are unloaded. Frequently, the turnaround specialist will apply some quick, corrective surgery before placing them on the market. If the unit fails to attract a buyer in a given time frame, liquidation occurs.
The plan typically includes other financial, marketing and operations actions to restructure debts, improve working capital, reduce costs, improve budgeting practices, correct pricing, prune product lines and accelerate high potential products.
The status quo is challenged and those who change as a result of the plans are rewarded and those who don't are sanctioned. In a typical turnaround, the new company emerges from the operating table, a smaller organization but no longer losing cash.
Stage Four : Restructuring the business
Once the bleeding has stopped, the losing divisions sold off and the administrative costs cut, turnaround efforts are directed toward making current operations effective and efficient. The company must be restructured to increase profits and return on assets and equity.
In many ways, this stage is the most difficult of all. Eliminating losses is one thing, but achieving an acceptable return on the firm's investment is another.
The financial state of the core business of the company is particularly important. If the core business is irreparably damaged, then the outlook is bleak. If the remaining corporation is capable of long-term survival, it must now concentrate on sustained profitability and the smooth operation of existing facilities.
During the turnaround, the product mix may have changed, requiring the company to do some repositioning. Core products neglected over time require immediate attention to remain competitive. In the new, leaner company, some facilities might be closed; the company may even withdraw from certain markets or target its products toward a different niche.
The "people mix" becomes more important as the company is restructured for competitive effectiveness. Reward and compensation systems that reinforce the turnaround effort get people to think "profits" and "return on investment." Survival, not tradition, determines the new shape of the business.
Stage Five : Returning to normal
In the final step of the turnaround, the company slowly returns to profitability. While earlier steps concentrated on correcting problems, this one focuses on institutionalizing an emphasis on profitability, return on equity and enhancing economic value-added. For example, the company may initiate new marketing programs to broaden the business base and increase market penetration. The company increases revenue by carefully adding new products and improving customer service. Strategic alliances with other world-class organizations are explored. Financially, the emphasis shifts from cash flow concerns to maintaining a strong balance sheet, long-term financing, and strategic accounting and control systems.
This final step cannot be successful without a psychological shift as well. Rebuilding momentum and morale is almost as important as rebuilding the ROI. It means a rebirth of the corporate culture and transforming the negative attitudes to positive, confident ones as the company maps out its future.
Judging the success or failure of a turnaround
Of course, not all turnarounds succeed in the manner outlined here. A company may put a quick end to its disastrous losses but never quite attain an acceptable return position. When this occurs, management may decide to sell the business to a company better able to produce an acceptable return on the funds invested. In a sense, this is not failure at all. The company may very well thrive and reach new heights under different ownership. Here, the turnaround manager can play a key role in identifying prospective purchasers and then negotiating a successful sale.
Ironically, some companies never reach Stage Five because of significant success in the earlier steps. The turnaround becomes so successful that the company becomes a target of a takeover bid. Again, this must not be viewed as a failure. The company was saved and continues to perform well with stronger sales than ever before.
Choosing a turnaround professional
For a troubled company, no decision may be more crucial than hiring a turnaround manager. Yet, with all the pressures and distractions taking place within the company, this decision comes at the worst possible time.
Questions to consider
• What length of time is expected for the services of a turnaround specialist?
• Can the company pay the turnaround specialist's fees?
• Will other specialists be brought in by the turnaround manager?
• Will the rest of the existing management team be able to work with the specialist?
• What exactly is expected of the turnaround specialist?
• Are the goals in writing?
• What are the chances of success in turning around the company?
• Is the company willing to let an outsider liquidate or sell key units of the business if necessary?
Key factors in making the right choice
Background Experience is the most important credential. MBA degrees and CPA designations count for little if the turnaround manager does not have a proven track record. The candidate should be able to produce a portfolio of success stories and satisfied clients.
Ethics and professionalism
Membership in the Turnaround Management Association indicates the degree of professionalism and honesty of a candidate. TMA holds members to a strict Code of Ethics and all members listed in this Directory have signed a statement acknowledging the TMA Code of Ethics.
TMA also encourages certification by the Association of Certified Turnaround Professionals as a further demonstration of expertise and commitment to the corporate renewal industry. The Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP) designation indicates that a turnaround specialist has met specific standards of education, experience and professional conduct and has successfully completed a rigorous written examination.
Reputation
No turnaround manager can expect to succeed without quickly gaining the confidence of creditors as well as accessing new sources of credit. Check the candidate's reputation with leading bankers, attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, factors and trade creditors.
Managerial skills
As the chief architect and implementer of new strategies, the turnaround specialist must be an organizational leader. Look for a person of action, with entrepreneurial instincts, "hands on" experience, and interviewing and negotiating skills.
Fee structure
Make sure the fee structure of the turnaround specialist is clear and fair. A company should make sure it can afford such a service or else it may be trading one set of problems for another. Find out if there is an incentive or performance arrangement in the contract.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whether or not Cornell brought in someone or if someone on the BOD decided that Neom needed the services of a turnaround specialist (again this is my opinion), I am glad to see the changes that are occurring and I like that they are happening relatively fast. It appears to me we are clearly in Stage 4 - Restructuring the Business.
In the end, I believe Neom will sell all of its acquired companies with the exception of Gavitec. I believe Dr. Christian Steinborn taking over Europe and Asia sales and marketing responsibility supports this supposition. Gavitec's Lavasphere turns camera phones into universal code readers. It can decode 1D and 2D barcodes without a camera lens attachment (see http://www.gavitec.com/Lavasphere_for_Smartphones_-_T.66.0.html ). Combine this with qode and you have a product that has huge, huge profitable growth potential.
There are no guarantees here on how this will all turn out in the long run. Qode is launched (albeit in a small way). There is increasing evidence that the market is now ready for qode as well.
Furthermore, NewsCorp is now involved with qode - again, in a small way, but it's a good first step. There are some on this board, including myself, lobbying hard with Management to get NewsCorp or some other big name company to take an equity interest in the Company. Private discussions on this matter seem more encouraging now than when this idea was first proposed many months ago.
The last and most important step is implementing Stage 5 - Returning to Normal. It will take more time to fully achieve the goals of this stage - financial well-being or the Company will be well positioned to be an attractive take-over target.
Anyway, these are my current thoughts. I am going to continue to hold as to sell now would be at a loss. (I might have done so had I not seen the aforementioned events unfold as last year ended.) Today's PR enables the continuation of the turnaround plan. I am hopeful that such a plan exists and will lead to a viable business model for all of our benefit in the months ahead.
ss9173